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SEPTEMBER      1956 


So  easy!  50%  more  jelly...and  fresher  flavor 

because  you  boil  only  1  minute  with  SURE-JELL  or  CERTO! 


Recipe:  perfect  homemade  grape 
jelly.  Crush  3l/i  lbs.  ripe  Con- 
cord grapes.  Cover,  simmer  10 
min.  with  U/i  cups  water.  Place 
in  jelly  bag;  squeeze  out  juice. 
Mix  5  cups  j  uice  with  1  box  Sure- 
Jell  in  big  saucepan.  (Or  use  liq- 
uid Certo — recipe  on  bottle.) 


Bring  to  boil  over  high  heat,  stir- 
ring constantly.  At  once,  stir  in  7 
cups  sugar,  bring  to  boil  again. 
Boil  hard  1  min.,  stirring  con- 
stantly. This  short  boiling  time 
gives  you  fresher  flavor !  And  less 
juice  boils  away,  so  you  get  up  to 
50%  higher  yield ! 


Remove  from  heat,  skim  off  foam 
and  pour  into  glasses.  Paraffin  at 
once.  Yield:  12  medium  glasses 
at  the  cost  of  mere  pennies  a 
glass !  And  you're  sure  of  perfect 
results  with  all  kinds  of  fruits 
when  you  use  powdered  Sure- 
Jell  or  liquid  Certo  ! 


« 


J«U 


Sure- Jell  and  Certo  are  brands 
of  pectin  . . .  the  fruit  substance 
that  causes  jelling.  The  amount 
of  pectin  in  fruits  varies — so  Sure- 
Jell  or  Certo  takes  the  guesswork 
out  of  jam  and  jelly  making. 
Recipes  with  package  and  bottle. 
Products  of  General  Foods. 


by  Dr.  Franklin  S.  Harris,  Jr. 


J  ast  year  19,962  book  titles  were  pub- 
lished in  the  United  Kingdom  and 
12,589  in  the  United  States.  A  survey 
made  by  the  American  Institute  of  Pub- 
lic Opinion  and  foreign  affiliates  found 
only  17  percent  of  adults  were  reading 
books  at  the  time  of  the  most  recent 
survey  in  the  United  States  compared 
with  29  percent  in  a  1937  survey.  Recent 
surveys  in  Canada  found  31  percent, 
Australia  34,  and  England  55  percent 
reading  at  time  of  survey.  In  the 
United  States  57  percent  of  the  high 
school  and  26  percent  of  the  college 
graduates  have  not  read  a  book  in  the 
past  year.  Five  of  six  college  graduates 
had  not  read  a  serious  book  outside  their 
fields  of  special  interest  during  the  pre- 
ceding several  months. 


TVTeasurements  on  1/10  acre  plots  by 
the  Intermountain  Forest  and 
Range  Experiment  Station  in  the  Was- 
atch Mountains  of  Utah  found  that  for 
an  eleven-year  period,  1936-45,  there 
was  a  total  of  448  inches  of  precipita- 
tion with  a  trace  of  surface  runoff  and 
no  eroded  soil  when  the  original  aspen- 
herbaceous  cover  was  present.  When 
the  same  area  was  denuded  of  cover  in 
the  six-year  period  1947-1952,  there  were 
271  inches  of  precipitation,  2.9  inches 
of  surface  runoff  and  60.6  tons  of  soil 
per  acre  eroded  away. 

r^R.'R.  S.  Manly  of  Tufts  Dental  Col- 
lege has  spent  two  years  testing 
nearly  2,000  substances  as  anti-enzymes, 
of  which  about  a  hundred  stop  acid  pro- 
duction. Research  is  continuing  to  find 
which  substances  will  be  most  effective 
and  also  non-toxic  for  use  on  teeth. 


Icy  adding  sesamolin,  an  oil  from  the 
sesame  seed,  in  equal  parts  to 
pyrethrum,  the  insecticide's  insect-kill- 
ing power  is  increased  31  times  or  about 
two  and  a  half  times  better  than  present 
additive  boosters.  Sesamolin  does  not 
affect  pyrethrum's  low  toxicity  to  hu- 
mans and  warm-blooded  animals.  Com- 
mercial utilization  should  follow  in  time 
the  working  out  of  the  chemical  struc- 
ture of  sesamolin  by  Dr.  Morton  Beroza 
of  the  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


How  can  a 

crisp   cookie 

be  so      * 

meltingly\ 

tender  ? 


It  isn't  easy f  but  Purity 

does  it  by  the  bagful . . . 


Cookies  that  remind  you  of  long-ago  visits  to 
Grandma's  kitchen! 
PECAN  SANDIES— light  golden  cookies  with  a 
tempting  sandy  texture  that  melt  deliciously 

in  your  mouth.  Nubby  with  chopped  pecans. 
And  that  flavor!  Buttery  rich, 

sugary  and  pecanish — practically  irresistible! 

PECAN  SANDIES 

"'PURITY 

PURITY  BISCUIT  COMPANY        Salt  Lake     •     Phoenix     •     Pocatello 


609 


FAST 

...  because  he's  a 
professional  painter 


J.  AST  is  the  word  for  any  paint  job  done 
by  your  professional  Painting  Contractor. 
He  has  the  tools  and  equipment  that  help 
him  finish  an  exterior  or  interior  in  the 
shortest  possible  time. 

And  your  Painting  Contractor  is  neat. 
He  carefully  protects  furnishings,  floors 
or  shrubbery— and  without  annoying  fuss 
or  bother. 

His  long  experience  assures  you  of  beau- 
tiful results  that  will  give  complete  and 
lasting  satisfaction. 

For  names  of  reliable  Painting  Contractors, 
call  your  Fuller  Paint  Dealer. 


W.  P.  FULLER  &  CO. 


The  West's  leader 
in  paint  and  glass 


FULL€R 
PAINTS 
&  GLASS 


Be  sure  to  ask  your  Painting  Contractor  to 
use  Fuller  latex  wall  and  woodwork  paint 

—  FUL-COLOR. 

He'll  be  glad  to,  because  FUL-COLOR  goes 
on  smoothly,  evenly,  easily.  It  has  no  "painty" 
odor,  so  you  can  re-occupy  a  room  only  one 
hour  after  he's  finished.  Choose  your  favorite 
paint  colors  from  the  famous  Fuller  Jewel 
Case  at  your  Fuller  Paint  Dealer. 

610 


Adam  and  Eden 


by  Dr.  G.  Homer  Durham 

VICE  PRESIDENT,  UNIVERSITY  OF  UTAH 


Each  of  us  identifies  himself  with  the 
concept  of  territory,  land,  country, 
a  district,  or  other  part  of  the  earth's 
surface.  When  we  say  we  are  English- 
men, Canadians,  Frenchmen,  Americans, 
Mexicans,  we  usually  think  of  ourselves 
on  a  plot  of  ground,  a  spot  on  the  map. 
We  belong  to  a  ward,  a  stake;  we  live 
in  a  city,  a  county,  a  state  or  province; 
or  in  a  branch,  a  district,  or  a  mission. ' 
We  work  for  a  certain  company  and 
serve  a  certain  "territory."  We  are  much 
identified  with  imaginary  lines  drawn 
on  the  map.  They  are  carried  in  our 
minds  as  real  and  permanent  (or  semi- 
permanent) guide  lines  to  all  that  we 
do. 

Most  human  organiza- 
tion has  to  do  with  the 
concept  of  territory  and 
territoriality.  Even  our 
professional  societies  and 
associations  are  called  the 
"Los  Angeles  County 
Medical  Association,"  or 
the  "British  Medical  As- 
sociation," or  carry  some 
other  tie  to  lines  on  the 
map. 

The  land  and  control  of  a  piece  of  it, 
the  sense  of  property,  loom  large  in 
human  affairs.  Abraham  left  Ur  of  the 
Chaldees  and  sought  a  new  land  of 
promise.  The  quarrels  of  his  descendants 
over  occupancy  of  that  land  make  some 
of  today's  headlines. 

A  curious  parallelism  marks  man's 
sojourn  on  the  land.  In  the  main,  his- 
tory and  literature  celebrate  the  city  or 
village  and  the  city  dweller.  There  are 
notable  exceptions.  But  take  the  Bible, 
and  note  how  important  are  the  cities 
and  towns:  Ur,  Hebron,  Jerusalem,  Beth- 
lehem, Jericho,  Tyre,  Sidon,  Antioch, 
Damascus.  Pastoral  scenes  are  plenti- 
ful. But  after  Jacob  and  Moses,  how 
many  stories,  events,  or  incidents  can 
you  visualize  in  a  rural  farm  situation — 
that  is,  apart  from  either  an  urban, 
nomadic,  pastoral,  tribal  group  (like 
Moses  and  Israel)  seeking  an  urban 
setting?  In  secular  affairs,  Athens, 
Sparta,  Thebes,  Troy,  Rome,  Paris,  Lon- 
don, New  York,  Moscow,  Peiping,  Cal- 
cutta seem  to  tower  over  life  and  events. 
Even  in  Asia,  the  Chinese,  Mongol,  or 
Hindu  village  and  village  culture  seem 
to  predominate. 

Plato  in  his  Republic  depicts  the  ever- 
increasing  complexity  and  specialization 
which  characterize  the  city.  The  word 
civilization  itself,  as  it  has  come  into  the 


English  language,  means  the  life  of  the 
city  and  the  city  dweller.  At  the  same 
time,  the  conception  of  each  man  sitting 
under  his  own  vine  and  fig  tree,  man 
on  the  land,  on  his  own  piece  of  land, 
in  control  -of  it,  and  master  of  his  little 
rural  kingdom,  is  a  thread  running 
throughout  all  our  literature.  If  civiliza- 
tion is  the  result  of  city  growth  and 
city  life,  the  memory  of  man  seems  to 
run  back  to  an  earthly  rural  paradise, 
an  Eden  of  private  occupancy.  Man 
then  projects  the  memory  of  the  race 
into  his  future  dreams. 

In  the  United  States  of  America  in 
the   nineteenth   century,    the   dream   of 
free   men  on  free  land   reached   grand 
proportions.    The  Missis- 
sippi    Valley     and     the 
western   plains  filled   up 
with  men  and  women  on 
■;*£  their   own   family   farm- 

steads. In  the  Utah 
frontier,  as  Dr.  Lowry 
Nelson's  studies  of  the 
Mormon  Village  have 
demonstrated,  the  com- 
pact village,  city,  or  town 
pattern  was  retained.  The  people  lived 
in  the  town  and  worked  on  the  farm. 
In  many  places  elsewhere,  the  people 
both  lived  and  worked  on  the  farm. 
Villages  and  cities  grew  up  later  at  the 
crossroads.  The  Mormon  people  seem 
characteristically  to  have  viewed  them- 
selves as  "farming"  people;  as  people 
living  "on  the  land,"  i.e.  as  rural  or 
country  folk.  This  has  probably  never 
been  really  true.  Certainly  today  Mor- 
mons are  an  urbanized  group.  They 
are  commercial,  industrial,  professional, 
service  workers  in  the  main,  not  farmers. 
Why  do  we  think  of  ourselves  as  a  so- 
ciety of  farmers?  As  country  folk?  And, 
why  do  most  Americans?  Do  most  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  world's  cities 
and  villages  think  of  themselves  as  rural 
rather  than  urban?  Adam,  Eve  and 
their  Eden,  the  concept  of  an  earthly 
paradise  lost — and  the  urge  to  regain 
that  paradise — seems  to  be  a  powerful 
image.  It  may  be  twisted,  bent,  dis- 
torted. But  from  station  wagon  and 
swimming  pools  in  suburbia,  to  gera- 
nium boxes  in  the  tenements,  the  image 
seems  ever-present  today,  at  least  in 
North    America   and   Western   Europe. 

In  carrying  this  image  in  our  minds, 

together   with   the   constant    reminders 

of   territoriality,   are   we   missing    some 

of  the  real  perspectives  of  contemporary 

{Continued  on  page  686) 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Add  these  New  LDS  Books 
to  your  Library. . . . 


itOVS 
fflS/&§X 


1.  DOCTRINES  OF  SALVATION-Vol.  Ill 

Sermons  and  Writings  of  Joseph  Fielding  Smith 
COMPILED  BY  BRUCE  R.  McCONKIE 
This  third  volume  in  the  series  gives  pointed  consideration  to  many  of  the 
most  fascinating  and  little  understood  principles  of  the  gospel  such  as  the 
signs  of  the  times,  prophecies  concerning  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ  and 
the  events  which  will  precede  and  attend  that  glorious  day.  Many  other 
vital    subjects  described   and   discussed.  $3.25 

2.  PAUL'S  LIFE  AND  LETTERS 

BY    DR.   SIDNEY   B.   SPERRY 
Here    is    a    great   new    reference    text    for    the    1956    Gospel    Doctrine    course 
of   study.     Many,    many    facts    and    experiences    in    Paul's    life    are   presented 
with    rare    insight   into    his    ministry.  $3.25 

3.  IT'S   YOUR  LIFE   TO  ENJOY 

BY   WENDELL  J.   ASHTON 

This  is  a  book  for  those  who  would  keep  young  in  heart.  From  the  covers 
of  "The  Instructor,"  here  are  52  articles  filled  with  anecdotes,  glimpses 
at  interesting   places  and   great   people,   and   sound   LDS   philosophy.        $2.50 

4.  TO   LOVE  AND  TO  CHERISH 

BY  EMMA  MARR  PETERSEN 

Here    is   the   moving    account    of   the    terrible    price    one    man    paid    when    he 

Told    by    a    master    storyteller, 
'to     love    and    to    cherish"    the 

$2.00 


5.  GENEALOGICAL  RESEARCH   IN 
ENGLAND  AND  WALES 

BY   FRANK   SMITH   AND   DAVID   E.   GARDNER 

This  important  volume  is  a  must  for  anyone  inter- 
ested in  doing  genealogical  research  in  England 
and  Wales.  Contains  18  informative  chapters  with 
60  illustrations.  A  tremendously  important  aid  to 
research.  $3.00 


6.   HISTORY  OF  JOSEPH   SMITH 

BY  HIS  MOTHER,   LUCY   MACK   SMITH 

Here  is  an  intimate  look  into  the  inspired  life 
of  the  beloved  Prophet  Joseph.  It  is  packed  with 
rich  and  exciting  historical  truths.  Dictated  by 
Lucy  Mack  Smith  in  1845;  edited  for  modern  reading 
by  Preston   Nibley.  $3.00 


set    aside    his    family    and    marriage    vows, 
this    inspirational    volume     instils    a    desire 
marriage   covenant. 


wmmmmmmmmm 
SEPTEMBER  1956 


BOOKCRAFT 

PUBLISHERS  TO  THE  L.D.S.  TRADE 
1186  SOUTH  MAIN 


BOOKCRAFT  Sept.  1956 

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Please  send  the  following  circled  books: 

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for  which   I   enclose  check   (      )     or  money   order   (      ). 

Name  

Address    

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611 


Edrtors:   DAVID    O.   McKAY     -     RICHARD    L.   EVANS 

Managing  Editor:  DOYLE  L.  GREEN 

Associate  Managing  Editor:   MARBA  C.  JOSEPHSON 

Production     Editor:    ELIZABETH    J.     MOFFITT 

Research  Editor:   ALBERT  L.  ZOBELL,  JR. 

Manuscript  Editor:  ALLIE   HOWE 

Contributing  Editors:  ARCHIBALD  F.  BENNETT     -     G.  HOMER  DURHAM 

FRANKLIN   S.   HARRIS,   JR.     -     MILTON   R.   HUNTER     -     HUGH   NIBLEY 

LEE  A.  PALMER     -     CLAUDE  B.  PETERSEN     -     SIDNEY  B.   SPERRY 

General  Manager:  ELBERT  R.  CURTIS     -     Associate  Manager:  BERTHA  S.  REEDER 

Business  Manager:   VERL  F.  SCOTT 
Subscription  Director:  A.  GLEN  SNARR 
Regional   Advertising    Representative:    THAYER   EVANS 


The  Editor's  Page 

Some  Thoughts  on  Happiness  President  David  O.  McKay  621 

Church  Features 

Your  Question:  Who  Are  the  Gentiles? 

- President  Joseph  Fielding  Smith  622 

President  David  O.  McKay  Reaches  83  Years  September  8,  1956  623 

President  J.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr.  Attains  85  Years  September  1,  1956  .....  624 

There  Were  Jaredites— The  Shining  Stones,  Cont Hugh  Nibley  630 

Experiences  in  Genealogical  Research  Johann  Georg  Meyer,  Jr.  635 

Jesus  Christ,  the  God  of  the  Old  Testament— MIA  Reading  Course: 

Jesus  the  Christ— III Doyle  L.  Green  636 

Talking  with  Our  Father  through  Prayer ...Royal  L.  Garff  646 


Two  New  Members  of  YWMIA  Gen- 
eral Board   614 

The  Church  Moves  On 616 


Genealogy    635 

Melchizedek   Priesthood   666 

Presiding  Bishopric's  Page  668 


Special  Features 


A  Great  Caring Mae  B.  Rose  625 

"Carry  Over" ; Mark  E.  Petersen  626 

Fruits  of  Wise  Leadership Hugh  B.  Brown  627 

Servicemen  in  West  Germany Lynn  Eric  Johnson  640 

The  Planet  Mars D.  H.  McNamara  649 

On  the  Bookrack 639 

The  Spoken  Word  from  Temple  Square  

Richard  L.  Evans  653,  656,  664,  684 


Exploring  the  Universe,  Franklin  S. 
Harris,  Jr 609 


These  Times,  Adam  and  Eden,  G. 
Homer  Durham  610 


TODAY'S  FAMILY— Allie  Howe,  Editor 


About  Face  to  Success,  Allie  Howe.. 676 
Preserving  Autumn    Colors,  Alice 


Whitson  Norton 
Handy  Hints  


.680 
.683 


ies,  Poetry 


To  Make  A  Home  Pansye  Powell  633 

The  Bride  Wore  Lace .....Christie  Lund  Coles  644 


Frontispiece,   Pupils'   Progress,   Jane 

Merchant 620 

Poetry  Page  620 

David  Oman  McKay — Prophet  and 


Teacher,  Leone  E.  McCune  648 

Daylight,  Eloise  Wade  Hackett 656 

Summer  Song,  Lance  DeLaney  681 

Before  the  Sunrise,  Cherry  McKay  ..687 


icia 


I    LJrqan   of 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  QUORUMS, 
MUTUAL  IMPROVEMENT  ASSO- 
CIATIONS, DEPARTMENT  OF 
EDUCATION,  MUSIC  COMMITTEE, 
WARD  TEACHERS,  AND  OTHER 
AGENCIES  OF 

^Jke    (^-nurcn   or 

speAii6    K^knit 

ot   otatier-aau    Jaw/j 


■Jne    Cc 


over 


The  golden-haired  girl  in  a  swing  in 
autumn  is  our  cover  subject  this  Septem- 
ber. It  is  the  full-color  photography  of 
Bob   Taylor. 


EDITORIAL    AND    BUSINESS    OFFICES 

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Copyright  1956  by  Mutual  Funds,  Inc.,  and 
published  by  the  Mutual  Improvement  Asso- 
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THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


"Seek  Ye  Out  of  the  Best  Books  Words  of  Wisdom  -D  &  C  88:118 


LDS  Books  Club 


Proudly  announces  as  its  September  selection 
THE  GREAT  MORMON  CLASSIC 

Discourses  of  Brigham  Young 

Selected  and  Arranged  by  Dr.  John  A.  Widtsoe 


This   classic  volume   is   but  another  testimony 
that  the  Lord  speaks  through  his  prophets. 

No  LDS  library  is  complete  without  it. 

Brigham  Young,  second  President  of  the 
Church  and  first  governor  of  Utah,  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  greatest  colonizers  of  all 
times,  but  first  and  foremost  he  was  a  spiritual 
leader  and  teacher.  Working  over  a  period 
of  many  months,  the  great  scholar  and  church- 
man Dr.  John  A.  Widtsoe  made  excerpts  from 
President  Young's  discourses  and  arranged 
these  in  42  chapters  which  cover  all  phases 
of  the  Gospel.  The  book  reveals  Brigham 
Young  as  a  man  who  applied  the  simple 
principles  of  the  Gospel  to  the  everyday  affairs  of  men.  The  book  is 
Brigham  Young's  witness  to  the  existence  of  God,  the  restoration  of  the 
Gospel  in  its  fullness  by  Joseph  Smith,  the  Prophet,  and  the  possibility 
of  securing  happiness  by  obedience  to  the  requirements  of  the  Gospel. 
The  book  contains  498  pages  and  is  completely  indexed.    It  sells  for  $3.50. 


HOW  THE  CLUB 
PLAN  WORKS 

1.  You  join  the  club  by  ordering  the  book 
"Discourses  of  Brigham  Young"  or  one  of  the 
four  alternates  described  in  the  coupon.  You 
may  order  two  or  more  of  the  books  if  you 
desire.  Fill  out  the  coupon  and  mail  along 
with  your  check  or  money  order.  (C.O.D.  orders 
are  accepted  from  U.  S.  or  possessions.)  Your 
selection    will   be    mailed    to    you    immediately. 

2.  Each  month  after  you  become  a  member 
you  will  receive  in  the  mail  reviews  of  several 
books,  carefully  selected,  with  one  named  as 
the  book  of  the  month.  If  you  wish  to  re- 
ceive the  top  book  you  do  nothing— it  will  be 
sent  to  you  in  the  mail,  postpaid,  along  with 
a  statement.  If  you  do  not  want  the  book, 
you  return  the  post  card  provided  for  an 
alternate    choice    (or    none    at    all). 

3.  After  you  have  purchased  four  books,  a 
fifth  will  be  sent  you  FREE.  You  select  this 
bonus  book  from  a  long  list  of  choice  Church 
books    which    will    be    provided. 

4.  You  need  order  only  four  books  during 
the  year,  but  you  may  order  one  or  more  each 
month,   if  you   desire. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


NEW  BOOKS  COMING 

Several  important  new  books  which  will  be 
LDS  Books  Club  selections  will  be  off  the  press 
this  fall. 


\/  our  membership  in  the  LDS  Books  Club  will 
help  enable  you  to  increase  your  knowl- 
edge of  the  gospel,  assist  you  in  building  your 
testimony,  and  give  you  these  additional  ad- 
vantages: 

•    SAVINGS 

of  about  20%  thru    a   free   bonus   book  plan. 


•  CAREFUL  SELECTION 

of  ALL  books  recommended. 

•  CONVENIENCE 

of  books  delivered  to  your  door. 

•  METHODICAL 

way  of  adding  to  your  library. 

•  BEST  NEW   LDS   BOOKS 

as  they  come  from  the  press. 

•  OLDER  LDS  CLASSICS 

such  as  the  one  above. 


FILL  OUT  AND  MAIL  THIS  COUPON   NOW 


LDS    BOOKS   CLUB,    161    East    Utopia    Avenue,    Salt    Lake    City    15,    Utah 
Gentlemen: 

Please  enroll  me  as  a  member  of  the  LDS  BOOKS  CLUB  and  send  me  the  current 
selection.  Discourses  of  Brigham  Young,  or/and  the  alternate(s)  below.  I  understand  that  I 
will   receive   a   free    bonus    book   with    each    four   selections    I    buy. 


NAME 


ADDRESS 


CITY    AND    STATE 


Amount    of   Check   or    Money    Order   enclosed    $ Please    send    C.O.D.    □• 

(Utah  residents  add  2%  sales  tax.) 

G   Please  send  Discourses  of  Brigham  Young— $3.50. 

-  ALTERNATES  - 


Please  Send: 

Q  Jesus   The   Christ,   by   James    E. 

Talmage    $3.00 

A   study    of  the   Messiah    and    his    mission. 

M.I. A.    reading    course    book   for    the    next 

two   years. 
□  Home  Memories  of  President  David  O. 

McKay,   by  Dr.   Llewlyn   R.  McKay   ...  $3.75 

Intimate    glimpses    into    the    home    life    of 

this    great    leader. 


□  Doctrines  of  Salvation,  Vol.  3,  \ 

by   Joseph    Fielding    Smith $3.25 

Contains  much  valuable  material  on  many 
gospel   subjects. 

□  Bible  Stories  for  Young   Latter-day 
Saints,   by  Emma  Marr  Petersen  $3.00 

Wonderful,    faith     promoting    stories    from 
the   Bible  told    in   a   highly  readable  style. 


If  you  do  not  wish  to  mutilate  this  page,  send  information  required  on  a  separate  sheet. 


613 


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ORGANIZATION. 


BY. 


L 
614 


ADDRESS. 
CITY 


.ZONE. 


_STATE_ 


TWO  NEW  MEMBERS  OF 
YWMIA  GENERAL  BOARD 


Lorna  M. 
Tayler 


Lorna  M.  Tayler  and  Dorothy  Jacob- 
son,  both  Salt  Lake  City  high  school- 
teachers by  profession,  have  been  called 
to  the  general  board  of  the  Young 
Women's  Mutual  Improvement  Associa- 
tion. 

Miss  Tayler  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Utah.  She  has  also  at- 
tended the  University  of  Hawaii  and 
has  taught  art  in  Honolulu.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  former  Salt  Lake  Theatre 
group.  Her  Church  activities  have  in- 
cluded supervisor  of  the  Junior  Sunday 
School  in  Liberty  Ward,  Gleaner  in- 
structor in  Liberty  Ward,  Junior  Gleaner 
instructor  in  Harvard  Ward,  stake 
YWMIA  secretary,  activity  counselor, 
and  president  of  YWMIA  in  Liberty 
(Salt  Lake  City)  Stake. 

Miss  Tayler's  first  assignment  with 
the  general  board  will  be  with  the 
drama  committee. 


Dorothy 
Jacobson 


Miss  Dorothy  Jacobson,  like  Miss 
Tayler,  was  graduated  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Utah  and  was  a  member  of 
the  former  Salt  Lake  Theatre  group. 
She  has  served  in  the  following  YWMIA 
positions;  as  president,  age-group  coun- 
selor, Bee  Keeper,  drama  director,  and 
attendance  secretary  in  the  Wilford 
Ward;  Bee  Keeper  in  Grant  (Salt  Lake 
City)  Stake,  and  as  East  Mill  Creek 
(Salt  Lake  City)   Stake  drama  director. 

Miss  Jacobson's  first  assignment  with 
the  general  board  will  be  with  the 
speech  committee. 

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SEPTEMBER  1956 


615 


THE  CHURCH  MOVES  ON 

A  Day  To  Day  Chronology  Of  Church  Events 


June  1956 

0  A  More  than  five  thousand  persons, 
4  each  seventy  years  of  age  or  older, 
representing  all  creeds  and  colors,  were 
guests  of  the  Church  at  the  annual  Old 
Folk's  Day  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

Oi  President  David  O.  McKay  dedi- 
w*  cated  the  Cassia  (Idaho)  Stake 
house — Oakley  First  and  Second  Ward 
chapel. 

President  Joseph  Fielding  Smith  of 
the  Council  of  the  Twelve  dedicated 
the  chapel  of  the  Emery  Ward,  Emery 
(Utah)  Stake. 

Elder  LeGrand  Richards  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  Twelve  dedicated  the  chapel 
of  the  Mt.  Pleasant  First  and  Fourth 
wards,  North  Sanpete  (Utah)  Stake. 

Elder  Richard  L.  Evans  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  Twelve  dedicated  the  chapel 
of  the  Highland  View  and  Highland 
View  West  Ward,  East  Mill  Creek 
(Utah)   Stake. 

Elder  John  Longden,  Assistant  to  the 
Council  of  the  Twelve,  dedicated  the 
chapel  of  the  Brentwood  Branch,  San 
Joaquin  (California)  Stake. 

Elder  Eugene  C.  Ludwig  sustained  as 
president  of  Grant  (Salt  Lake  City) 
Stake,  with  Elder  Horace  W.  Tame  and 
William  Sterling  Evans  as  his  coun- 
selors. Elder  Tame  was  serving  as  sec- 
ond counselor  in  the  former  presidency. 
President  Oscar  J.  Harline  and  his  first 
counselor,  Elder  George  W.  Fowler,  were 
released. 

Elder  Boyd  L.  Fugal  was  sustained 
as  president  of  the  Timpanogos  (Utah) 
Stake,  with  Elders  Elwood  Allen  and 
Ertmann  H.  Christensen  as  his  coun- 
selors. They  succeed  President  Merrill 
N.  Warnock  and  his  counselors,  Elders 
Vilace  N.  Radmall  and  Lewis  E.  Olpin. 

Elder  Glen  A.  Christensen  sustained 
as  first  counselor  to  President  Leo  A. 
Crandall  of  the  Koloh  (Utah)  Stake, 
succeeding  Elder  Perry  D.  Goodliffe, 
who  was  moving  from  the  stake.  Elder 
Christensen  was  serving  as  second  coun- 
selor. Elder  Ernest  A.  Strong,  Jr.,  sus- 
tained as  second  counselor. 


July  1956 


29 


The  MIA  conference  of  Southern 
California   opened.      It    had    been 

preceded   by  several   days   of    institutes 

and  road  show  performances. 

OA      The  day  was  devoted  to   depart- 
mental sessions  at  the  MIA  confer- 
ence in  Southern  California. 

616 


IThe  MIA  conference  of  Southern 
California  concluded  with  general 
sessions  in  Los  Angeles,  under  the  di- 
rection of  President  J.  Reuben  Clark, 
Jr.,  of  the  First  Presidency,  Elder  George 
Q.  Morris  of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve, 
and  the  general  executives,  of  the  Mu- 
tuals. 

6  The  First  Presidency  appointed 
Elder  Henry  Ray  Hatch  president 
of  the  newly-created  Idaho  Falls  Temple 
Mission.  President  Hatch  selected  Elders 
Oscar  W.  Johnson  and  Joseph  M.  Tucker 
as  his  counselors. 

7  It  was  announced  that  the  old 
John  Johnson  farm  and  home  in 
Hiram,  Ohio,  has  been  purchased.  Ac- 
cording to  Church  history,  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith  lived  at  this  home  for 
three  years  during  the  early  rise  of  the 
Church.  There  he  received  fifteen 
revelations  which  are  recorded  in  the 
Doctrine  and  Covenants.  Approximate- 
ly ten  acres  of  ground  will  be  retained 
with  the  home,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  farm,  approximately  150  acres,  will 
be  sold,  according  to  a  spokesman  for 
the  Church  Historic  Sites  Committee. 
It  is  expected  that  a  missionary  couple 
will  be  sent  to  the  newly  purchased 
homestead  and  that  it  will  be  main- 
tained as  an  information  center. 

8  Elder  LeGrand  Richards  of  the 
Council  of  the  Twelve  dedicated 
the  chapel  of  the  Pocatello  Thirteenth 
and  Seventeenth  wards,  Pocatello 
(Idaho)  Stake. 


13 


The  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle  Choir 
presented  the  first  of  two  evening 
concerts  at  the  Red  Rocks  Music  Festival 
near  Denver,  Colorado.  Some  of  their 
numbers  were  accompanied  by  the  Den- 
ver Symphony  orchestra. 

MThe  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle  Choir 
joined  the  Denver  Symphony  Or- 
chestra in  presenting  Brahms'  German 
Requiem  at  the  Red  Rocks  Music  Festi- 
val near  Denver,  Colorado. 


1 


The  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle  Choir 
w  presented  its  regular  Columbia 
Broadcasting  System  radio  program  from 
the  Red  Rocks  amphitheater,  near 
Denver,  Colorado.  (This  was  the  be- 
ginning of  the  twenty-eighth  year  of 
nationwide  broadcasting  by  the  choir.) 
Afterwards  the  group  gave  an  hour-long 
concert  in  this  natural  amphitheater. 


-17  Salt  Lake  City  began  its  "Days 
**  of  '47"  celebration  in  honor  of  the 
arrival  of  the  pioneers.  In  the  days  to 
follow  there  were  concerts,  a  pageant  in 
Pioneer  Park,  rodeo  performances,  sun- 
rise services,  long-distance  swimming 
events  in  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  the  tra- 
ditional parades.  The  theme  of  the 
1956  celebration  was:  "They  Came  in 
'56  in  Handcarts." 


21 


It  was  announced  that  the  average 
over- all  attendance  of  the  Church 
membership  at  Sunday  School  has  in- 
creased 10.5  percent  in  the  period  from 
1945  to  1955.  General  Superintendent 
George  R.  Hill  said  that  in  1945  the 
percentage  of  attendance  at  Sunday 
Schools  throughout  the  Church  was 
28.2,  and  in  1955  it  had  increased  to 
38.72  percent,  or  an  average  of  one  per- 
cent increase  each  year.  Total  enrol- 
ment for  the  Church  in  Sunday  School 
on  December  31,  1955,  was  1,196,780. 
The  average  weekly  attendance  in  1955 
was  406,800  pupils  and  56,627  officers 
and  teachers. 

art  Religious  services  in  the  wards  and 
ww  branches  of  the  Church  honored 
the  coming  of  the  Pioneers  into  the 
valley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  109  years 
ago. 

oi  The  annual  pioneer  celebrations 
wt  came  to  a  close  in  Utah  communi- 
ties and  wherever  the  Church  is  or- 
ganized. 

In  Salt  Lake  City  there  was  a  gigantic 
parade,  a  luncheon  honoring  the  few 
remaining  pioneers,  the  unveiling  of  a 
bust  of  Brigham  Young  in  the  Utah 
State  Capitol  building  by  the  Brigham 
Young  family  organization,  the  final 
performance  of  the  rodeo,  and  a  con- 
cert tableau  in  the  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle, 
featuring  the  Tabernacle  Choir  and 
guest  soloist  Carl  Palangi. 

syr  The  First  Presidency  announced 
ww  the  appointment  of  Elder  Lorin  N. 
Pace  as  president  of  the  Argentine  Mis- 
sion, succeeding  President  Lee  B.  Valen- 
tine. President  Pace,  who  has,  recently 
been  situated  in  Honduras  in  the  US 
diplomatic  service,  is  a  former  resident 
of  Salt  Lake  City.  He  filled  a  mission 
in  Argentina  about  ten  years  ago.  Ac- 
companying him  to  the  new  field  of 
labor  will  be  his  wife,  the  former  Mari- 
lynn  Haymore,  and  their  three  children. 
{Concluded  on  page  670) 
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617 


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618 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Pupils'  Progress 


by  Jane  Merchant 


They  zigzag  down  each. sidewalk  crack, 
They  spin  like  tops,  they  dart  like  wrens, 
And  constantly  keep  dashing  back 
To  pick  up  mittens,  caps,  and  pens. 


As  well  demand  that  fish  be  styled 
To  fly,  or  that  the  sun  be  cool, 
As  to  insist  that  any  child 


Should  come  straight  home  from  school! 


SCHOOL   DAYS 
By  Gladys  Hesser  Burnham 

Whe  held  my  hand  as  we  walked  to  school, 

Shyly  possessive,  finding  her  way, 
As   all   six-year-olds  start  out  in  the  world 
Feeling   important,   still   hating  to   say 
Good-bye  after  roll  call  when  Mother  must 

leave. 
Heartaches   on   both  sides  were   big   yester- 
year. 
Today  she  is  at  college,  feeling  her  wings. 
A  letter  says,  "See  you  some  week-end  near, 
The   boys  are   sublime — It  is  all   paradise!" 
Suspicions  of  marriage  stab   at  my  heart; 
I  answer  gaily,  though  this  breaks  a  bond — 
Heartstrings  are  shattered  to  make  each  new 
start. 

CORN 
By  Helen  Harrington 

Almost  two  thousand  years  ago 

Christ's  disciples  walked  along  a  row 
of  grain  and  ate  of  it.  Upon  that  morn, 
they — like    men    before    them — found    that 

corn 
is   good   in  time   of  hunger   and   a  taste 
to  satisfy  the  tongue.    Jacob,  faced 
with  famine,  sent  his  sons  to  Egypt  for  it 
lest  they  die,  and  joyously  exquisite 
were    songs    that    David,    the    sweet   singer, 

knew — 
sung   by  the  valleys  where   the  green   corn 

grew. 

The  blade,  the  ear,  then  full  corn  in  the 

ear — 
still  the  pattern — and  the  fields  appear 
rich   with   sustenance   for  man.     Each   hill 
and    bottomland,    the    great   machines    that 

till 
and  harvest,  trucks,  and  mills,  and  stores 
join  in  endeavor  to  provide  a  food 
healthful  and  pleasant  for  the  multitude. 

Still    do   the   valleys   shout,   the   green   hills 

sing, 
Still  are  men  eager  in  the  garnering! 

BREAKING  OF  THE  DROUTH 

By  Martha  Sherwood  Johnson 

T'he    farmer,    standing    in    his    doorway, 

breathes 
An  air  made  sweet  with  cruelly  needed  rain, 
As     grateful     trees     uncurl     drouth-nibbled 

leaves 
And  ponds  grow  full  again. 
He  knows  the  stark  necessity 
Of  hauling  daily  water  through  the  blast 
Of  searing  winds,  and  hub-deep  dust 
Is  now   a  nightmare  of  the   past. 
It  is  too  late  for  summer  hay,  but  he  may 

plant,  before 
The  frost  comes,  now,  and  rib-bound  stock 

may  munch 
Green  grass  once  more. 
The   breaking   of  the   drouth   has   left   him 

warm 
With   thankfulness — his  heart   is   made 
So   strong    he   feels    he   can    reach    up    and 

touch 
The    topmost   curve    of    semi-circles,    appli- 

qued 
In  double  rainbow's  tints,  against  the  dark 

blue  of  the  storm. 

620 


THE  HILL  CUMORAH 
By  Evelyn  Tooley  Hunt 

Against  the  backdrop  of  a  summer  night 

The  folded  velvet  of  a  darkened  hill 
Displayed   behind    an   arc   of   shafted    light 
A  statue,  tall  and  slender,  white  and  still, — 
The  statue  of  Moroni,  like  a  gem 
Set  forth  in  splendor  to  invoke  the  gaze 
Of  passersby.   And  I  was  one  of  them, 
The  tens  of  thousands  who  had  gone  their 

ways 
But   who    now   stopped,    and   looked    again, 

and  saw 
The    moving    pageant,    heard    the    gloried 

sound 
That     reaffirmed     the     Witness     and     the 

Law  .  .  . 
And    knew    the    place    I    stood    was    holy 

ground. 

SUNSET  CIRCUS 

By  Thelma  Ireland 

TPhe    sunset-tinted   mountains 

Like  trained  seals,  painted  rose, 
Are  balancing  red  balls  of  clouds 
On  each  one's  pink-tipped  nose. 


— Photo  by  Wayne  B.  Hales 


SEPTEMBER 

By  Nell  Womack  Evans 

|  ewels  of  hummingbirds  top  hollyhocks  red, 

Avian  helicopters  hovering  o'er  head; 
Thickets  of  berries  on  a  rambling  fence  line, 
Loose  clusters  of  beauty  in  shades  pink  to 

wine; 
Wild  asters  in  medleys  of  violet  and  blue; 
Species    of    honeysuckle     in    orange-yellow 

hue; 
Black-eyed     Susans,     goldenrod     on    sunny 

slopes 
Watch    bittersweet    pose    scarlet    seed    en- 
velopes. 
It  is  September's  mad  floral  display. 
Spring  in  her  youth  was  never  more  gay 
Than   this   summer's   farewell    in   colors   so 

bold- 
Warmth  to  protect  against  winter's  cold! 


PRESERVING  TIME 

By  Ila  Lewis  Funderburgh 

I^resh  fruit,  ripened  and  luscious, 

Sugar  by  generous  pound, 
Jars  and   a  big  long-handled  spoon, 
A  kettle  that's  deep  and   round; 
Steady  and  gentle  boiling, 
Stirring  and  skimming  with  care, 
And  oh,  the  wonderful   fragrance 
That  fills  the  summer  air! 

Are  my  preserves  successful? 

I  can  tell  in  a  little  while; 

Does  every  child  within  smelling  range 

Bring  a  slice  of  bread  and  smile? 

A  SONG  OF  WORKERS 
By    Clarence    Edwin   Flynn 

"Phe  strong  go  forth  to  labor 
'    When  dawn  is  in  the  sky, 
When  worthy 'tasks  are  waiting, 
And  strength  and  hope  are  high. 
They  meet  the  hours  of  challenge 
Until  the  close  of  day 
When  evening  brings   them  resting 
To  meet  another  day. 

The  strong  go  forth  to  labor 
Under  the  morning's  gleams. 
Their  hearts  are  full  of  courage. 
Their  eyes  are  bright  with  dreams. 
Fearless  they  are  and  ready 
Because  their  hands  are  free 
To  build  the  hope  of  ages, 
The  world   that  is  to  be. 

SUMMER  NIGHTS 
By  Alice  Josephine  Wyatt 

Tt  is  enough  to  sit  on  summer  nights 
Alone    where    crickets    chirp    their    giddy 
song. 
It  is  enough  to  see  the  glowworm  lights 
Weaving    noiselessly,    a    jeweled    throng 
Of  beings  unconcerned  about  their  source, 
Untroubled  by  the  mystic,  higher  plan, 
Unorganized   for  taking  things  by  force, 
Lacking  ambitions  of  the  greater  man. 

It  is  enough  to  watch  a  dancing  star 
Performing  for  the  universe  to  see. 
Less    simple    things    would    interfere     and 

mar 
The  deep  enchantment  of  the  night  for  me. 
It  is  enough.    A  man  does  not  contend 
Who  finds  the  universe  to  be  his  friend. 

MY  HEART  TURNS  BACK 

By  Georgia  Moore  Eberling 

II/Iy  heart  turns  back  to  days  that  are  no 
more 

When  purple  dusk  creeps  in  at  sunset's  door; 

Night  is  a  mother  whose  soft  words  restore 

The  hope  that  faded,  and  the  dream  that's 
lost. 

Night  whispers,  "Float,  my  child,  on  sleep's 
vast  ocean; 

Ahead's   a  summer  harbor,  where   no   frost 

Of  disappointment  burns,  nor  pain's  emo- 
tion." 

The  heart  is  hushed,  and  all  the  day's 
black  thunder 

Is  stilled;  the  world  is  blest  with  star- flung 
wonder. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


<S5i5si>SvSv5i£N^xsvxcN^^ 


■  —>**»3'Ci¥W$ 


Some  Thoughts  On  Happiness 

by  President  David  O.  McKay 


True  happiness  is  found  in  the  paradoxical  say- 
ing of  the  Savior,  "He  that  loseth  his  life  for 
my  sake  shall  find  it."  (Matt.  10:39.)  Our  lives 
are  wrapped  up  with  the  lives  of  others,  and  we 
are  happiest  as  we  contribute  to  their  happiness. 

*  *     *     * 

Happiness  is  the  end  and  design  of  life,  for 
man  is  that  he  might  have  joy.  The  real  purpose 
of  life  is  happiness.  Obedience  to  God's  will 
brings  that  happiness   and  abundance  of  life. 

*  *      *      * 

There  are  seeds  of  happiness  planted  in  every 
soul.  Our  mental  attitude  and  disposition  con- 
stitute the  environment  in  which  these  seeds  may 
germinate.  There  is  as  much  need  for  sunshine 
in  the  heart  as  for  sunshine  in  the  world. 

*  *     *     * 

Everybody  can  enjoy  a  glorious  sunset.  You 
would  have  to  pay  a  great  sum  for  a  painting  by 
a  skilled  artist.  Only  the  wealthy  can  afford  it, 
but  almost  any  evening  we  can  look  at  a  brilliant 
western  sky,  and  each  one  of  us  can  say,  "That's 
mine."  Too  few  of  us  appreciate  what  this  means. 

*  *     *     * 

The  opposite  to  this  happiness  comes  as  thieves 
in  the  night,  thieves  of  jealousy,  hatred,  animosity, 
and  the  like. 


Many  people  have  lost  the  proper  sense  of 
values  and  have  sought  peace  and  happiness  in 
vain  in  the  acquisition  of  wealth  at  the  expense  of 
spiritual  growth. 

*     *      *     * 

To  seek  happiness  or  even  contentment  in 
acquisition  of  worldly  things  alone  is  to  lose  sight 
of  the  highest  purpose  of  life.  And  that  is  one 
reason  why  there  is  discouragement  and  why  there 
is  despair  generally  in  the  world.     The  seeking 


of  material  things  has  been  the  end,  and  when 
they  are  suddenly  wiped  away,  men  are  dis- 
tracted. 

There  are  three  means  of  achieving  the  happy, 
abundant  life:  first,  making  God  the  center  of 
one's  life;  second,  using  the  free  agency  given  to 
man;  and  third,  rendering  service  to  others. 

*  *     *      * 

There  are  signposts  along  life's  highway  which, 
if  followed,  will  lead  any  man  to  do  the  Lord's 
will,  to  know  his  Son,  the  Redeemer  of  the  world, 
to  know  whom  is  eternal  life.  And  while  we  are 
gaining  this  great  knowledge  which  leads  to  im- 
mortality, we  find  the  greatest  happiness  in  mor- 
tality that  can  be  experienced  by  the  human  soul. 

*  *      *      * 

Wherein  then  does  the  secret  of  happiness  lie? 
The  Savior  gave  us  the  key  to  it  when  he  said: 
"The  kingdom  of  God  is  within  you."  The  power 
is  within  men  to  choose  the  right  or  to  choose  the 
wrong.  Happiness  is  not  an  external  condition: 
it  is  a  state  of  the  spirit  and  an  attitude  of  the 
mind. 


My  experience  has  taught  me  that  the  safe 
anchor  of  the  soul,  and  indeed,  the  security  and 
happiness  in  life,  are  founded  upon  a  faith  in  God, 
upon  a  faith  in  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
in  his  gospel  of  peace  and  life,  upon  a  faith  in  the 
efficacy  of  prayer,  and  in  the  power  of  the  priest- 
hood as  bestowed  upon  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith 
and  through  him  conferred  upon  others  who  have 
been  and  are  worthy  to  receive  this  blessed  pos- 
session. 

Such  a  faith  becomes  as  fixed  and  constant  in 
its  guidance  as  the  Polar  Star.  It  enables  one  to 
overcome  trials  and  discouragements,  to  face  life 
with  courage,  to  meet  disaster  with  fortitude,  and 
to  find  true  happiness  on  earth. 


SEPTEMBERll956" 


€^^JLjCf/l/l/(//  «3  J^  CflCC'* 


5<5^QC<^c>Q^ 


621 


% 


by  Joseph  Fielding  Smith 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  TWELVE 


Who  are  the  Gentiles? 


"In    the    Gospel   Doctrine    class    we    are 

MB&StttM       studying   The   Acts   of   the   Apostles,   and 

the  question  arose,  who  are  the  Gentiles?    There  was  a 

difference  of  opinion.    Are  the  Gentiles  of  the  blood  of 

Israel?  Will  you  kindly  inform  us?" 

The  definition  in  the  Standard  Dictionary 
of  a  Gentile  is  as  follows:  "(f)  Among 
the  Jews,  a  person  of  a  non-Jewish  race  or  faith;  one 
who  is  not  a  Jew.  (2)  Among  Christians,  one  who  is 
neither  Jew  or  Christian;  a  pagan;  heathen.  (3)  Among 
the  Mormons,  one  not  a  Mormon.  2  Gram.  A  noun  or 
an  adjective  denoting  race  or  country.  3  A  member  of 
a  gens  or  clan." 

This  definition  does  not  enlighten  us  in  relation  to  the 
original  meaning,  nor  does  it  accurately  fit  the  doctrine 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  There 
are  many  races  on  the  earth  not  members  of  the  Church 
whom  the  Mormons  do  not  class  as  Gentiles.  The 
Polynesians,  the  American  Indians,  Jews,  Arabs,  and 
other  races  of  Semitic  origin  who  trace  their  lineage  back 
to  Abraham  are  not  Gentiles  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
word.  The  African  Negroes,  according  to  Mormon  teach- 
ings, are  not  Gentiles. 

The  first  use  of  the  word  is  found  in  Genesis  10:5,  in 
reference  to  the  sons  of  Japheth,  son  of  Noah,  and  reads 
as  follows:  "By  these  were  the  isles  of  the  Gentiles  di- 
vided in  their  lands;  every  one  after  his  tongue,  after 
their  families,  in  their  nations."  Both  Dr.  Adam  Clark 
and  Dr.  Thomas  Scott,  in  their  comprehensive  com- 
mentaries refer  to  the  people  who  settled  Europe,  Asia 
Minor,  England,  the  United  States,  and  Canada,  as 
being  of  the  Gentiles. 

The  name  Gentile  to  a  great  extent  has  lost  its  original 
significance.  It  was  not  used  in  an  opprobrious  sense 
and  not  in  derision  in  biblical  times,  but  referred  to 
certain  peoples  who  had  not  descended  from  Abraham. 
However,  in  the  blessing  the  Lord  gave  to  Abraham  he 
extended  favors  even  to  the  Gentiles: 

"And  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great  nation,  and  I  will 
bless  thee  above  measure,  and  make  thy  name  great 
among  all  nations,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  blessing  unto 
thy  seed  after  thee,  that  in  their  hands  they  shall  bear 
this  ministry  and  Priesthood  unto  all  nations; 

"And  I  will  bless  them  through  thy  name;  for  as  many 
as  receive  this  Gospel  shall  be  called  after  thy  name, 
and  shall  be  accounted  thy  seed,  and  shall  rise  up  and 
bless  thee,  as  their  father."1 

Before  the  days  of  the  coming  of  Jesus  in  his  min- 
istry the  Jews  looked  upon  those  not  of  their  race  as 
inferior  because  they  were  not  the  seed  of  Abraham. 
They  boasted  of  their  superiority  because  they  were  of 
the  seed   of  Abraham.    When  the  Savior  came   in  his 

622 


ministry,  he  may  have  lent  some  color  to  this  thought, 
for  he  declared  that  he  was  sent  only  to  the  house  of 
Israel.  One  striking  example  was  his  answer  to  the 
woman  of  Canaan:  "I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."2  Likewise  in  the  call  of 
his  apostles  he  said:  "Go  not  into  the  way  of  the  Gen- 
tiles,   and   into    any   city   of    Samaritans   enter   ye    not: 

"But  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."3 
The  ministry  of  our  Lord  was  confined  to  Israel,  except 
in  the  special  cases  where  those  of  other  nations  by  ex- 
ceeding faith  sought  him  for  blessings.  After  his  resur- 
rection he  commissioned  his  servants  to  go  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature;  thus  he 
widened  the  field  to  cover  the  whole  earth.4  It  was 
difficult  for  his  apostles  to  grasp  the  significance  of  this 
commission,  so  well  had  they  been  trained  in  the  thought 
that  the  gospel  was  for  Israel  only.  Following  the  con- 
version of  Cornelius  their  views  concerning  the  gospel 
broadened,  and  they  went  forth  as  they  had  been  com- 
manded to  do. 

In  the  Dispensation  of  the  Meridian  of  Time,  the  gos- 
pel was  first  preached  to  the  Jews,  and  when  they  re- 
jected it,  then  it  was  carried  to  the  Gentiles.  In  this 
Dispensation  of  the  Fulness  of  Times,  the  gospel  is  first 
to  the  Gentiles  and  then  is  to  go  to  the  Jews.  The  first 
have  become  last  and  the  last  first  in  this  dispensation 
in  fulfilment  of  the  teachings  of  our  Lord. 

The  ancient  prophets,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  others 
understood  this  order  and  great  promises  were  made  by 
them  to  the  Gentiles.  In  the  restoration  of  the  gospel 
in  our  day  it  came  "by  way  of  the  Gentile,"5  and  to  the 
Gentile  nations  it  has  been  taught,  and  by  them  it  will 
be  carried  to  the  Jews  and  the  scattered  house  of  Israel. 

Latter-day  Saints  pride  themselves  because  they  are  of 
Israel;  but  they  are  also  of  the  Gentiles.  We  are  the 
descendants  of  those  members  of  the  house  of  Israel  who 
were  scattered  among  the  Gentiles  to  be  a  blessing  to 
the  Gentile  nations  and  make  them  of  the  blood  of 
Israel  through  the  gospel.  The  scattering  of  Israel  among 
the  nations  was  not  intended  merely  as  a  punishment, 
but  as  the  leaven  which  would  leaven  the  Gentile  na- 
tions and  make  them  of  the  blood  of  Abraham,  accord- 
ing to  the  promises  given  to  Abraham.  The  Book  of 
Mormon  came  by  way  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  a 
descendant  of  Ephraim,  yet  it  came  "by  way  of  the 
Gentile,"  and  in  the  time  of  the  Gentiles. 


*Z<l/^  /£&>U&^ 


Abraham  2:9-10. 

2Matt.    15:24. 

3Matt.    10:5-6. 

*See  Mark   16:15-16. 

BTitle   page  of   Book   of   Mormon.     D   &  C   20:9. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


*AA/VV\A/VWVVVnAAAAaAAASVWV*/WVW\*A^^ 


President  David  0.  McKay 
Reaches  88  Years 

September  8, 1956 


The  dictionary  defines  the  given 
name  David  as  "the  beloved."  Cer- 
tainly there  is  no  better  description 
of  President  David  O.  McKay,  our 
prophet  and  leader  who  attains  the 
eighty-third  anniversary  of  his  birth, 
September  8,  1956. 

The  life  of  President  David  O. 
McKay  has  been  well  chronicled. 
(Still,  hardly  a  week  goes  by  without 
someone  communicating  with  the  Era 
office  and  requesting  biographical 
material  about  him.) 

First  called  to  the  Presiding  Coun- 
cils of  the  Church  as  a  member  of 
the  Council  of  the  Twelve  in  April 
1906,  he  soon  found  himself  in  the 
great  Sunday  School  cause.  In  the 
early  1920's  he  was  the  first  apostle 
in  modern  days  to  circle  the  earth 
on  a  world-wide  mission  tour. 

After  twenty  eight  and  one-half 
years  of  service  in  the  Council  of  the 
Twelve,  he  was  called,  in  October 
1934,  to  the  First  Presidency,  where 
his  task  was  much  of  the  administra- 
tive work  of  the  Church.  He  has 
been  "President  McKay"  now  to  a 
full  generation  of  Church  folk. 

In  the  comparatively  short  five  and 
one-half  years  since  he  became  Presi- 
dent of  the  Church,  our  world-travel- 
ing leader  has  brought,  as  he  has 
visited  our  missions  and  stakes  in  the 
earth,  a  fuller  realization  of  the  true 
meaning  of  brotherhood  in  the 
Church.  (And  this  in  a  Church  that 
has  always  proclaimed  the  brother- 
hood of  man.) 


His  leadership,  spirituality,  and 
calm,  wise  guidance  have  won  un- 
told friends  not  only  for  himself  but 
also  for  the  Church  and  for  America. 

It  is  doubtful  if  his  popularity  and 
personal  appeal  have  ever  been  ex- 
celled by  a  leader  of  the  Church.  At 
general  conference  time,  vast  crowds 
gather  in  his  path  for  a  glimpse  of 
this  handsome,  white-haired  Presi- 
dent. 

He  is  as  much  at  home  with  the 
leaders  of  the  world  as  he  is  with  a 
group  of  children  who  come  to  visit 
him  at  his  office  or  who  cluster 
around  him  following  a  Church  meet- 
ing. 

We  read  of  his  going  out  to  the  far 
places  in  the  stakes  and  missions  of 
the  Church  to  participate  in  some 
activity.  Sometimes  it  is  for  a  re- 
gional holiday  and  observance;  more 
often  it  is  to  dedicate  a  Church  build- 
ing, to  bring  to  final  glorious  reality 
the  dream  of  many  years  for  the 
Saints  in  the  area.  We  read  his 
speeches  that  he  gives  on  such  occa- 
sions. They  are  masterpieces.  And 
we  realize  that  after  he  stands  at 
the  pulpit  for  ofttimes  an  hour  or 
longer,  he  stands  for  at  least  that 
long  greeting  the  people  who  have 
come  to  the  meeting  to  see  and  hear 
his  words  and  wisdom.  For  all  there 
are  a  smile  and  a  hearty  handshake. 
There  are  books  and  programs  to  be 
autographed  by  the  dozens. 

President    David   O.    McKay   is    a 


man  of  great  personal  courage.  He 
has  the  keen  insight  of  what  should 
be  done,  and  he  boldly  charts  the 
way  to  accomplish  the  task.  It  is  a 
thrill  to  watch  him  set  the  pace  and 
pattern  of  a  program  at  those  times. 
Once  the  path  is  indicated,  he  waits 
for  the  results,  knowing  that  results 
will  come  as  expected. 

He  has  great  faith  in  the  future, 
great  faith  in  the  people,  great  faith 
in  the  destiny  of  the  Church,  and  his 
decisions  and  planning  show  the  re- 
sults of  such  faith. 

We  saw  him,  together  with  his  life- 
long companion,  Sister  McKay,  at  the 
music  and  speech  festival  at  the  MIA 
conference  in  June.  It  was  one  of 
those  rare  occasions  when  he  could 
sit  in  the  body  of  the  Tabernacle,  and 
he  was  enjoying  it.  After  the  bene- 
diction President  and  Sister  McKay 
found  themselves  as  usual  surrounded 
by  admiring  young  folk.  As  they 
shook  hands  and  chatted  with  them, 
it  was  apparent  they  were  happy  to 
be  in  the  presence  of  these  young 
people. 

Almost  daily  President  McKay's  car 
is  in  the  Church  parking  lot  early  in 
the  morning,  and  it  is  usually  one  of 
the  last  to  leave  in  the  evening. 

Surely  the  God  of  modern  Israel  is 
answering  the  daily  prayers  of  the 
faithful  Saints  to  sustain  the  life  of 
their  present-day  Prophet.  May  he 
be  with  us  to  counsel  and  to  lead  us 
for  many  years  to  come! 

Happy  birthday,  President  McKay! 


SEPTEMBER  1956  623 


lAfUftAAAMVMIAAIVMIAAIMVlAAIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAJW 


President  J.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr. 


Attains  85  Years  of  Age 

September  1, 1956 


President  J.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr.'s 
first  talk  in  a  public  meeting,  ac- 
cording to  his  father's  diary,  was 
a  biographical  sketch  of  the  life  of 
Christ.  He  was  fifteen  years  of  age 
at  the  time.  He  must  have  taken  to 
his  subject.  Over  the  years  the 
Church  has  been  made  rich  by 
thoughts  that  have  come  from  his 
tongue  and  pen  on  Jesus  the  Christ. 
President  Clark  will  be  eighty-five 
years  of  age  September  1. 

As  a  youth  in  his  native  Grants- 
villc,  Utah,  he  served -as  treasurer  of 
the  Primary  Association  and  as  presi- 
dent of  his  deacons'  quorum. 

Coming  to  Salt  Lake  City  for  an 
education,  he  obtained  work  as  clerk 
for  the  curator  of  the  Deseret  Mu- 
seum. In  the  words  of  Elder  James 
E.  Talmage,  the  curator,  this  was  to 
be  regarded  as  a  foreign  mission.  He 
served  here  from  1891  to  1898. 

In  1894  he  entered  the  University 
of  Utah.  He  did  six  years  of  pre- 
scribed work  in  four  years.  He  was 
graduated  June  15,  1898,  with  a 
bachelor  of  science  degree.  He  ranked 
first  in  his  class  scholastically  and 
was  president  of  the  student  body, 
managing  editor  of  the  Chronicle 
(student  newspaper),  and  secretary 
to  the  president  of  the  University  of 
Utah,  Dr.  James  E.  Talmage.  At  the 
University  of  Utah  he  first  met  David 
O.  McKay,  a  fellow  student  who  was 
graduated  in  1897,  the  year  before  J. 
Reuben  Clark  was. 

In  1898  he  became  a  teacher  in  the 
Salt  Lake  City  Twentieth  Ward  Sun- 
day School,  and  assisted  in  organiz- 
ing  what    was    said   to    be    the  first 


graded  Sunday  School  in  the  Church. 

That  same  year,  on  September  14, 
1898,  he  married  Luacine  Annetta 
Savage  in  the  Salt  Lake  Temple. 

He  embarked  upon  a  teaching 
career,  serving  as  teacher  and  as 
principal  of  several  schools  in  the 
state.  Then  in  1903  he  became  a 
student  at  Columbia  University  Law 
School.  He  obtained  his  bachelor  of 
laws  degree  June  13,  1906.  The  year 
before  he  had  been  admitted  to  the 
New  York  Bar. 

While  in  the  East,  he  carried  a  mis- 
sionary certificate  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  signed  by  the  members  of  the 
First  Presidency,  President  Joseph  F. 
Smith  and  his  counselors,  Presidents 
John  R.  Winder  and  Anthon  H. 
Lund. 

He  served  the  federal  government 
by  appointments  from  seven  presi- 
dents of  the  United  States.  They 
were  Presidents  Theodore  Roosevelt, 
William  Howard  Taft,  Woodrow  Wil- 
son, Warren  G.  Harding,  Calvin 
Coolidge,  Herbert  Hoover,  and  Frank- 
lin D.  Roosevelt. 

In  August  1920,  he  decided  to  bring 
his  family  back  to  Utah.  Soon  his 
law  offices  in  New  York  City  and 
Washington,  D.  C,  were  closed,  as 
he  expected  his  third  office,  in  Salt 
Lake  City,  to  take  his  full  time. 

But  the  call  to  government  service 
soon  came  again,  and  his  activities  in 
the  'twenties  read  like  a  capsule  uni- 
versity course  in  political  science  and 
history:  In  1921  he  served  as  counsel 
and  expert  assistant  to  the  American 
Commissioners  at  the  conference  on 


the  Limitation  of  Armament;  the 
American-British  Claims  Arbitra- 
tion 1924-25;  the  American-Mexican 
Claims  Commission  1926-27;  he  was 
with  Dwight  Morrow  in  Mexico 
1927-28;  and  in  1928-29  he  was  the 
US  Under-Secretary  of  State.  He 
had  become  counsel  for  the  American 
International  Corporation  in  1913, 
where  he  served  through  1923. 

On  June  7,  1925,  he  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  general  board  of  the 
YMMIA,  a  position  he  held  until 
April  1933.  As  a  member  of  that 
board,  on  February  17,  1926,  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  advisory  edi- 
torial committee  for  The  Improve- 
ment Era. 

He  became  the  teacher  of  the  ad- 
vanced theological  class  in  the  Salt 
Lake  City  Twentieth  Ward  Sunday 
School  in  1925,  and  worked  out  and 
had  printed  a  Harmony  of  the  Gos- 
pels, for  use  by  the  class.  Over  the 
years,  and  with  countless  more  hours 
of  study,  the  "harmony"  became  the 
groundwork  for  President  Clark's 
book,  Our  Lord  of  the  Gospels. 

Throughout  the  years  he  spent  in 
the  East  (Solicitor  for  Department  of 
State  and  Under-Secretary  of  State) 
and  in  Mexico  (he  was  appointed 
US  Ambassador  Extraordinary  and 
Plenipotentiary  to  Mexico  in  1930), 
one  finds  him  maintaining  standards 
and  affiliation  with  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 

While  US  Ambassador  to  Mexico, 

under     President     Herbert     Hoover, 

President  Clark  preferred  his  lifelong 

habits    of    quiet    study    to    extensive 

(Concluded  on  page  660) 


624  THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


tfJa-iWUr-tfftUiiii-^/f 


■■'Ib-a&iitffx&t&WlWBX&ih 


A  Great  Caring 


by  Mae  B.  Rose 


"I  only  ask  a  great  caring — an  honest  and 
humble  caring  about  what  happens  to 
human  beings  .  .  ." 


-H.  Armstrong  Roberts  Photo 


I  do  not  ask  of  any  man  alive  that  he 
know  all  the  answers.  I  only  ask  a  great 
caring — an  honest  and  humble  earing  about 
what  happens  to  human  beings  and  their 
hopes — and  that  I  ask  of  myself  as  well  as 
another. 

— Bonaro  Overstreet 

After  the  long  worrisome  day  at 
the  office,  my  heart  beat  a  little 
faster  as  1  entered  the  door  in 
anticipation  of  a  warm  welcome  and 
the  sound  of  happy  voices.  Instead, 
the  sound  of  muffled,  convulsive  sobs 
greeted  my  ears.  The  sobs  of  a  heart- 
broken child  chilled  the  very  heart 
of  me.  I  hesitated  but  a  moment,  then 
approached  and  placed  my  hand 
firmly  on  her  shoulder,  hoping  she 
could  feel  the  warmth  of  my  love  in 
my  hand.  After  what  seemed  an 
eternity,  she  looked  up  at  me  with 
those  swollen,  big  blue  eyes,  so  beau- 
tiful, yet  now  nearly  wild  in  fear. 
Through  the  tears  she  sobbed:  "Why, 
oh,  why,  do  they  have  to  say  such 
dreadful  things  about  us?  I  never, 
never  want  to  go  to  school  again!  I 
can  never  face  my  friends.  I  never 
want  to  see  Mary  or  Bob!  Mom,  why 
did  John  go  with  the  boys  yesterday? 
Why  didn't  he  stay  at  school?  Why 
do  you  have  to  be  away  so  much  of 
the  time?  Why  can't  you  stay  at  home 
with  us?    Why?  Why?  Why?" 

What  could  I  say  to  her?  The 
mother  heart  in  me  ached  as  it  had 
never  ached  before.  I  love  my  chil- 
dren and  want  them  to  be  happy 
more  than  anything  in  life. 

My  work  at  the  office  had  dragged 
all  day.  My  heart  was  heavy  because 
of  John.  How  could  he  have  forgotten 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


himself  so  completely?  He  had  always 
been  a  good  boy,  as  have  my  other 
children.  But  now  he  has  been  ar- 
rested. He  has  confessed  that  he 
played  hooky  from  school  and,  with 
other  boys,  has  helped  cause  great 
property  damage.  I  cannot  condone 
him.  He  was  wrong.  The  newspapers 
have  great  headlines  about  the  crime 
and  juvenile  delinquency  in  general. 
The  people  in  our  community  are 
greatly  upset  and  agitated.  They  say 
it  must  stop — and  rightly  so.  Already 
many  letters  have  been  written  and 
printed  in  the  paper  blaming  parents 
for  the  increase  in  juvenile  delin- 
quency and  especially  the  parent  in 
a  broken  home.  They  say  parents 
should  be  punished,  that  they  should 
be  held  responsible  for  the  acts  of 
their  children. 

I  have  tried  hard  to  be  a  good 
mother  to  my  children  and  to  fill  in 
a  vacancy  left  by  their  father's  death. 
I  have  tried  to  provide  opportunities 
for  good  wholesome  experiences  for 
my  children. 

Where  have  I  failed?  My  boy  is 
in  serious  trouble.  My  other  children 
are  almost  beside  themselves,  frus- 
trated and  afraid.  They  do  not  un- 
derstand the  attack  on  our  home. 
Must  I  shoulder  the  blame  alone? 
What  should  I  have  done?  Where 
have  I  failed  my  children? 

The  desperate  plea  of  this  mother 
was  made  in  our  community  not  so 
very  long  ago.  From  the  pen  of  one 
who  was  a  juvenile  delinquent  and 
who  has  paid  dearly  for  his  acts,  we 
quote  the  following: 


&—   my 


"We  walked  off  together 
brother  asked  me  what  our  father 
was  talking  about.  I  told  him  about 
war  and  whiskey,  and  they  had  been 
drinking.  Let's  play  like  we  are  drunk 
and  the  policemen  are  after  us.  That 
was  all  right  with  my  brother  for 
he  thought  things  his  father  did  was 
just  the  thing.  So  we  joined  two 
more  neighbor  boys,  explained  that 
we  wanted  to  play  drunk  and  tough 
men.    Then  they  joined  us  in    play. 

"My  brother  and  I  pretended  that 
we  were  fighting,  and  were  hitting 
each  other  pretty  hard.  Finally  he 
got  mad  and  picked  up  a  stick  with 
a  piece  of  wire  on  it,  hitting  me  on 
the  forehead.  The  wire  struck  deep. 
I  ran  over  and  hit  him  hard  and 
we  both  went  home  crying.  Mother 
came  out  to  see  what  had  happened. 
She  treated  the  place  where  the  wire 
had  cut,  not  saying  much  because  she 
and  my  dad  were  fussing  about  father 
coming  home  drunk." 

True,  those  who  run  afoul  of  the 
law  or  who  become  problems  in  the 
home  or  in  the  school  represent  a 
great  minority  of  our  young  folk.  We 
are  justly  proud  of  our  young  people 
generally,  and  for  them  we  are  grate- 
ful. But  regardless  of  this,  far  too 
many  are  bringing  heartaches  and 
great  concern.  Is  there  anything  we 
can  do  to  decrease  the  number  of 
heartaches? 

While  it  is  difficult  to  explain  the 

causative  factors  where  children  are 

in  conflict  and  giving  trouble,  we  do 

know  that  certain  things   contribute 

(Concluded  on  page  662) 

625 


Elder  Mark  E.  Petersen 

1  greet  you  MIA  workers  with 
pride  and  gratitude.  I,  too,  am 
very  grateful  for  the  magnificent 
work  which  you  do,  for  the  glorious 
influence  which  you  have  with  the 
youth  of  the  Church.  I  commend  you 
for  your  diligence  and  your  untiring 
efforts,  and  pray  that  the  Lord  will 
continue  with  you  and  make  you  great 
ministers  in  his  Church. 

One  of  the  inspired  theme  songs  of 
the  MIA  is  that  lovely  number  which 
was  written  by  Sister  Ruth  May  Fox 
and  Brother  Alfred  Durham,  entitled, 
"Carry  On."  I  believe  there  has  never 
been  a  time  when  I  have  sung  that 
song  with  you  when  my  eyes  have 
not  filled  with  tears  as  I  have  come 
to  that  particular  expression,  "Youth 
of  the  noble  birthright,  Carry  On." 
But  each  time  as  I  sing  it  with  you  I 
am  convinced  that  in  order  for  the 
youth  to  carry  on  there  must  first 
come  about  a  conversion  to  the  prin- 
ciples we  hope  they  will  carry  on  in 
their  lives,  and  that  conversion  in  turn 
comes  back  very  largely  to  us  as  MIA 
workers. 

If  we  expect  the  youth  to  "carry 
on,"  we  must  make  certain  that  there 
is  a  "carry  over"  also,  a  "carry  over" 
of  two  kinds:  a  "carry  over"  in  the 
precepts  we  teach,  and  a  "carry  over" 
in  the  practice  of  the  gospel  in  our 
daily  lives. 

We  sing  another  song  very  often  in 
MIA— "True  to  the  Faith":  "True  to 
the  faith  which  our  parents  have 
cherished."  Brother  Curtis  has  told 
us  so  well  here  this  morning  that  one 
of  the  reasons  there  is  a  "carry  over" 
on  the  part  of  the  youth  in  the  home 
is  that  the  parents  have  cherished 
the  faith.  That  same  principle  must 
hold  true  with  the  officers  and  the 
teachers  of  the  MIA.  There  must  be 
a  "carry  over"  from  you  to  the  youth 

626 


Carry  Over* 

by  Elder  Mark  E.  Petersen 

OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  TWELVE 


in  terms  of  conversion  to  the  gospel, 
or  there  never  can  be  a  "carry  on," 
and  so  our  responsibility  is  indeed 
great.  We  must  understand  the  pre- 
cepts. We  must  be  sure  our  doc- 
trines are  true,  and  we  must  teach  ef- 
fectively those  doctrines  and  those 
principles  and  those  precepts  to  the 
youth  of  the  Church  with  the  one 
thought  in  mind  of  bringing  about 
such  a  conversion  within  their  souls 
that  they  will  be  impelled  thereby  to 
live   the   gospel    and   thereby    "carry 

33 

on. 

So,  brothers  and  sisters,  there  is  a 
great  responsibility  on  the  part  of  each 
of  us  to  examine  our  own  selves  and 
see  whether  there  is  the  proper  "carry 
over"  so  that  there  may  be  the  follow- 
up  of  a  "carry  on." 

We  have  been  gathered  here  by  the 
general  boards,  and  they  have  given 
us  wonderful  and  inspired  teachings. 
Will  those  teachings  of  the  general 
boards  "carry  over"  to  the  stake 
boards  and  to  the  ward  boards  so  that 
actual  practice  will  bring  about  the 
conversion  that  we  are  seeking  in  the 
lives  of  the  youth?  As  the  general 
boards'  teachings  "carry  over"  to  you, 
will  your  teachings  "carry  over"  to 
the  youth  and  establish  faith  in  their 
hearts? 

We  must  be  so  careful  with  our 
teachings.  We  must  be  so  careful 
that  we  are  teaching  the  proper  doc- 
trine, that  we  are  pointing  in  the 
proper  way,  that  all  the  signposts  we 
set  up  point  to  the  right  road — -the 
straight  and  narrow  way  which  leads 
to  salvation. 

But  then  there  is  that  second  part, 
the  practice  as  well  as  the  precept. 
It  takes  fire  to  kindle  fire,  it  has  been 
said.  Will  the  way  we  live  the  gospel 
convince  the  young  people  who  ob- 
serve us  that  they  also  should  live 
the  gospel?  Do  we  practise  what  we 
preach?  In  our  lives  are  we  establish- 
ing a  set  of  habits  which  will  "carry 
over"  into  the  lives  of  the  people  we 
influence  so  that  they  will  have  the 
same  righteous  habits?  We  can  never 
suppose  that  there  will  be  a  "carry 
over"  of  obedience  from  disobedience. 


Crowds  gathering  on  Temple  Square  for 
the  annual  MIA  conference. 


We  can  never  suppose  that  there  will 
be  a  "carry  over"  of  devotion  and 
faithfulness  from  faithlessness.  We 
must  remember  always  that  love  be- 
gets love,  faith  begets  faith,  obedi- 
ence begets  obedience. 

If  you  hope  to  teach  modesty,  are 
you  modest?  If  you  hope  to  teach 
chastity,  are  you  chaste?  If  you  hope 
to  teach  honesty,  are  you  honest?  If 
you  hope  to  teach  faith  in  the  mis- 
sion of  Joseph  Smith,  do  you  have 
faith  in  the  mission  of  Joseph  Smith? 
If  you  hope  to  teach  the  principles 
of  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  do  you  live 
the  Word  of  Wisdom?  If  you  hope 
to  teach  tithing,  do  you  live  the  law 
of  tithing?  If  you  hope  to  teach  be- 
lief in  prayer,  do  you  believe  in  prayer, 
and  do  you  pray?  Are  you  arranging 
that  your  life  will  be  such  that  by 
your  example  your  living  habits  may 
carry  over  to  the  youth  of  Zion  so  that 
they  can  "carry  on?" 

We  sing  "Carry  On."  How  are  we 
to  interpret  it — as  a  command  or  an 
invitation?  Will  you  command  the 
youth  to  "carry  on,"  to  go  and  do 
this  and  do  that  whether  you  do  it 
or  not?  Are  you  going  to  say,  "Do  as 
{Continued  on  page  684) 


*Address    delivered    at   the   annual    MIA    Conference, 
June   17,    1956. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Fruits  of 
Wise  Leadership 


* 


by   Elder   Hugh   B.  Brown 

ASSISTANT  TO  THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  TWELVE 


The  Church  recognizes  in  every  in- 
dividual a  child  of  God.  The 
God-image  quality  in  man's  nature 
is  the  root  to  his  dignity.  The  MIA 
has  been  proceeding  on  the  basis  that 
each  of  these  young  persons  is 
physical,  mental,  moral,  esthetic,  and 
spiritual.  You,  the  officers  have  pro- 
vided training  in  these  fields,  and  the 
results  of  what  you  have  been  doing 
and  are  now  doing  are  felt  in  the  far 
corners  of  the  earth.  I  say  you  have 
been  reminding  these  young  people 
of  their  God-like  status.  May  I  cite 
what  Cronin  wrote  recently: 

"The  aim  of  human  life  and  the 
satisfaction  of  each  person's  deepest 
desires  must  be  inescapably  to  grow 
into  greater  likeness  of  God  by  active 
imitation  of  him,  in  intelligent  living 
according  to  his  plan." 

You  have  been  glorifying  in  the 
minds  of  these  young  people  in  your 
wards  and  stakes,  and  throughout  the 

*Address    delivered    at    the   annual    MIA   Conference, 
June    17,    1956. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


Church,  the  idea  of  knowledge,  of 
wisdom,  of  intelligence.  You  have 
been  telling  them,  we  are  sure,  that 
wisdom  is  not  mere  accumulation  of 
fact,  however  encyclopedic  or  exact. 
Wisdom  is  not  mere  knowledge.  It 
is  its  distillation.  And  as  Drake  said, 
"Wisdom  is  like  honey.  It  results 
from  many  trips  to  many  flowers,  and 
like  honey,  it  finds  its  function  in 
furnishing   sustenance   to   life." 

May  we  say  to  you,  and  through 
you — general,  stake,  ward,  mission, 
and  branch  officers  of  the  MIA — may 
we  say  to  you  and  through  you  to  all 
the  young  people  of  the  Church,  in 
harmony  with  what  Elder  [Mark  E.] 
Petersen  has  just  said,  if  you  would 
be  among  the  noble,  you  must  be 
noble.  If  you  would  be  among  the 
wise,  you  must  be  wise.  If  you  would 
be  among  the  pure  in  heart,  you  must 
have  unsullied  hearts.  And  if  you 
would  dwell  in  the  kingdom  of  God, 
your   actions   must   be   such   as   will 


make  it  possible  for  you   to   feel   at 
home  when  you  get  there. 

Someone  has  wisely  observed,  in 
fact  it  is  an  ancient  proverb  from 
Tibet,  "He  who  knows  and  fails  to 
practice  the  precepts,  is  like  a  man 
who  lights  a  lamp  in  the  darkness 
and  then  closes  his  eyes." 

Yes,  we  plead  through  you,  with  all 
the  young  people  of  the  Church,  that 
you  will  gather  wisdom  as  you  go 
forward  and  realize  that  with  it  must 
go  virtue.  If  you  do  not  or  cannot 
have  an  inner  peace,  all  your  pleas- 
ures will  go  sour.  As  Hippolytus  said, 
"Some  have  sinned  with  safety  but 
none  with  peace  of  mind." 

Now,  for  a  moment,  may  I  say  to 
you  officers  and  teachers  of  the  MIA, 
and  the  other  auxiliary  organizations 
of  the  Church — priesthood  quorums 
and  others — that  your  work  flowers 
and  bears  fruit  at  times  and  in  places 
which  you  little  suspect — often  in  far 
places,  far  removed  from  the  homes  of 
these  youths  whom  you  teach.  To 
illustrate  that  may  I  cite  an  incident, 
one  which  I  have  referred  to  in  some 
of  the  stake  conferences,  which  some 
of  you  might  have  heard,  and  those 
of  you  who  have  may  have  a  few 
moments'  quiet  sleep. 

I  cite  this  incident  to  indicate  that 
the  young  people  of  the  Church,  as 
represented  by  the  boys  in  the  serv- 
ice, have  carried  on  magnificently. 
This  incident  occurred  in  England  in 
1944.  I  had  gone  to  England  at  the 
request  of  the  First  Presidency  as  co- 
ordinator for  the  LDS  servicemen. 
One  Saturday  afternoon  I  sent  a  tele- 
gram from  London  to  the  base  chap- 
lain of  a  certain  area  near  Liverpool, 
saying,  "I  shall  be  in  your  camp  to- 
morrow morning,  and  shall  appreciate 
your  advising  the  Mormon  boys  who 
are  there  that  we  will  have  a  service 
at  ten  o'clock." 

When  I  arrived  in  that  camp  there 
were,  as  the  count  afterwards  proved, 
seventy-five  Latter-day  Saints,  all  in 
uniform,  and  quite  a  number  in  bat- 
tle dress.  The  chaplain  to  whom  I 
had  sent  the  wire  proved  to  be  a 
Baptist  minister  from  the  Southern 
States.  He  was  waiting,  too,  for  my 
arrival,  and  as  these  young  men  ran 
out  to  greet  me,  not  because  it  was  I, 
but  because  of  what  I  represented, 
and  as  they  literally  threw  their  arms 
around  me,  knowing  that  I  was  rep- 
resenting their  parents  as  well  as  the 
Church,  this  minister  said  to  me: 
"Please  tell  me  how  you  do  it?" 

"Do  what?" 

(Continued  on  following  page) 

627 


Fruits  of  Wise  Leadership 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

"Why,"  he  said,  "I  did  not  get  your 
wire  until  late  this  morning.  I  made 
a  hurried  search.  I  found  there  were 
seventy-six  Mormon  boys  in  this 
camp.  I  got  word  to  them.  Seventy- 
five  of  them  are  here.  One  is  in  the 
hospital.  I  have  over  six  hundred 
men  of  my  church  in  this  camp,  and 
if  I  gave  them  six  months'  notice  I 
could  not  get  a  response  like  that," 
and  then  he  repeated,  "tell  me  how 
you  do  it." 

I  said,  "Sir,  if  you  will  come  inside, 
perhaps  you  will  see."  We  went  into 
the  little  chapel.  The  boys  sat  down. 
I  asked  "How  many  here  have  been 
on  missions?" 

I  think  fully  fifty  percent  raised 
their  hands.  I  said,  "Will  you  and 
you  and  you,"  and  I  pointed  to  six 
of  them,  "come  and  administer  the 
Sacrament.  And  will  you  and  you 
and  you,"  and  I  pointed  to  six  others, 
"please  come  and  sit  here  and  be  pre- 
pared to  speak." 

Then  I  said,  "Who  can  lead  mu- 
sic?" A  number  of  hands  were  raised. 
"Will  you  come  and  lead  the  music? 
And  who  can  play  this  portable 
organ?"  There  were  several  hands, 
and  one  was  selected.  Then  I  said, 
"What  would  you  like  to  sing,  fel- 
lows?" And  with  one  voice  they  re- 
plied, "Come,   Come  Ye   Saints." 

We  had  no  hymnbooks.  The  boy 
sounded  the  chord.  They  all  arose. 
I  have  heard  "Come,  Come  Ye  Saints" 
in  many  lands  and  by  many  choirs 
and  congregations,  and  without  in 
any  way  reflecting  adversely  on  what 
we  usually  do  and  hear,  I  think  I 
have  heard  "Come,  Come  Ye  Saints" 
sung  only  once  when  every  heart 
seemed  bursting,  as  they  sang  every 
verse  without  books.  When  they  came 
to  the  last  verse,  they  didn't  mute  it, 
they  didn't  sing  it  like  a  dirge,  but 
throwing  back  their  shoulders,  they 
sang  out  until  I  was  fearful  that  the 
walls  would  burst:  "And  should  we 
die  before  our  journey's  through, 
happy  day,  all  is  well,"  and  I  looked 
at  my  minister  friend  and  found  him 
weeping. 

Then,  one  of  the  boys  who  had 
been  asked  to  administer  the  Sacra- 
ment knelt  at  the  table,  bowed  his 
head  and  said,  "Oh,  God,  the  Eternal 
Father,"  then  he  paused  for  what 
seemed  to  be  a  full  minute,  and  then 
he  proceeded  with  the  balance  of  the 
blessing  on  the  bread.     At  the  close 

628 


of  that  meeting  I  sought  that  boy 
out.  I  put  my  arm  around  his  shoul- 
ders, and  said,  "Son,  what's  the 
matter?  Why  was  it  so  difficult  for 
you  to  ask  the  blessing  on  the  bread?" 
He  paused  for  a  moment  and  said, 
rather  apologetically,  "Well,  Brother 
Brown,  it  isn't  two  hours  since  I  was 
over  the  continent  on  a  bombing  mis- 
sion. As  we  started  to  return,  I  dis- 
covered that  my  tail  assembly  was 
shot  away;  that  one  of  my  engines 
was  out;  that  three  of  my  crew  were 
wounded,  and  it  looked  like  it  was 
absolutely  impossible  to  reach  the 
shores  of  England.  Brother  Brown, 
up  there  I  remembered  Primary  and 
Sunday  School,  and  MIA,  and  home 
and  Church,  and  up  there,  when  it 
seemed  that  all  hope  was  lost,  I  said, 
'O  God,  the  Eternal  Father,  please 
support  this  plane  until  we  reach  a 
landing  field.'  He  did  just  that,  and 
when  we  landed  I  learned  of  this 
meeting,  and  I  had  to  run  all  the  way 
to  get  here.  I  didn't  have  time  to 
change  my  battle  dress,  and  then 
when  I  knelt  there  and  again  ad- 
dressed the  Lord,  I  was  reminded  that 
I  hadn't  stopped  to  say  thanks. 
Brother  Brown,  I  had  to  pause  a  lit- 
tle while  to  tell  God  how  grateful 
I  was." 

Well,  we  went  on  with  our  meet- 
ing. We  sang.  Prayers  were  offered, 
and  these  young  men,  with  only  a 
moment's  notice,  each  stood  and 
spoke,  preached  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  their  comrades,  and  bore 
their  testimonies,  and  again  I  say 
with  due  respect  to  the  various  ones 
with  whom  I  have  associated  and 
labored,  they  were  among  the  finest 
sermons  I  ever  heard.  Then  the  time 
was  up,  and  I  said,  "Fellows,  it's  time 
for  chow.  We  must  dismiss  now  or 
you  will  miss  your  dinner."  And, 
again  almost  with  one  voice,  they 
said,  "We  can  eat  army  grub  any 
time.  Let's  have  a  testimony  meet- 
ing." So  we  stayed  another  hour  and 
a  half  while  every  man  arose  and 
bore  witness  to  the  truth  of  the  re- 
stored gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
each  one  in  turn,  in  his  own  way, 
said,  "I  know  that  God  lives,  I  know 
that  the  gospel  is  restored,  I  know 
that  Joseph  Smith  was  a  prophet  of 
God."  Again  I  looked  at  my  friend, 
and  he-  was  weeping  unashamedly. 

At  the  close  of  that  meeting  this 
minister  said  to  me,  "I  have  been  a 
minister  for  over  twenty-one  years, 


Elder  Hugh  B.  Brown 

but  this  has  been  the  greatest  spiritual 
experience  of  my  life."  And  again  he 
said,  "How  do  you  do  it?" 

Then  it  was  my  pleasure  to  tell 
him  about  the  Primary  and  the  Sun- 
day School  and  the  MIA  with  its 
various  activities,  of  the  priesthood 
quorums,  the  seminaries,  the  Church 
schools,  and  the  great  educational 
system  directed  by  the  Church  board 
of  education  through  the  faculty  of 
Brigham  Young  University.  I  told 
him  of  our  missionary  system,  of  the 
training  it  provides  and  the  testi- 
monies resulting  from  such  gratuitous 
service. 

This  minister  said  to  me,  "If  we 
could  accomplish  something  like  that 
among  the  young  people  of  our  Chris- 
tian churches,  there  would  be  no 
more  war.  Why,  I  would  not  dare  to 
call  on  members  of  my  congregation 
to  speak  without  a  moment's  notice. 
They  who  do  come  to  church  know 
that  I  am  going  to  speak  and  that 
they  have  no  responsibility.  But  here 
it  seems  every  man  is  a  minister,  and 
every  man  has  been  trained  to  par- 
ticipate." 

I  explained  to  him  that  those  men 
had  been  taking  part  since  they  were 
little  tots,  and  I  told  him  further,  and 
I  say  to  you,  that  that  experience 
could  have  been,  and  was  in  many  in- 
stances, repeated  in  various  camps  in 
the  United  States  and  Canada  and 
Europe.  Wherever  enough  LDS  boys 
were  gathered  together,  we  could  re- 
peat that  experience. 

MIA  officers,  teachers,  and  mem- 
bers, I  saw  the  fruits  of  MIA  in  far- 
away places,  and  under  difficult  cir- 
cumstances. I  plead  with  you  in  the 
words  of  Elder  Petersen,  "Carry  On." 
I  plead  with  you  to  remember  that 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


the  young  people  of  this  time  espe- 
cially must  have  some  knowledge 
of  the  interrelatedness  and  interde- 
pendence of  the  individual  and  so- 
ciety, of  man  and  nature,  of  the  world 
and  God,  knowledge  of  the  centrality 
and  the  necessity  of  religion,  and  the 
reality  of  the  living  God  and  man's 
relationship  to  him.  We  must  teach 
them  that  religion  is  no  longer  periph- 
eral or  incidental,  but  that  it  is  the 
very  queen  of  the  sciences,  and  this  is 
not  because  the  Church  has  said  so  or 
because  tradition  or  superstition  have 
imposed  it  upon  human  credulity: 
This  is  true  because  of  the  nature  of 
reality,  and  as  one  has  recently  said, 
"If  there  be  a  God  at  all,  he  must  be 
the  ultimate  and  controlling  reality, 
and  the  truth  concerning  him,  as  best 
man  can  apprehend  it,  must  be  the 
keystone  of  the  ever  incomplete  arch 
of  human  knowledge." 

Yes,  I  say  to  you  and  to  all  of  us, 
we  have  a  challenge,  and  the  chal- 
lenge is  to  recognize  the  potential 
God-like  status  of  these  young  peo- 
ple, and  recognizing  that,  become 
more  poignantly  aware  of  our  re- 
sponsibility as  their  parents  and 
teachers. 

Referring  for  just  a  moment  to 
Father's  Day,  may  I  remind  you 
teachers  and  officers  that  you  are,  as 
they  say  in  law  "in  loco  parentis." 
You  do,  in  some  cases,  share  much  of 
the  responsibility  with  parents,  and 
let  this  line  apply  to  you  as  it  would 
apply  to  any  father: 

A  father  and   a  little  son 

Crossed    a    rough    street    one    stormy    day 

"See,   Father,"   said  the  little   one, 

"I  stepped   in   your  steps   all   the   way." 

O   random,   childish   thoughts   that   deal 

Quick  thrusts  no  coat  of  mail  can  stay. 


It  touched   him   as   a  touch  of   steel 
"I  stepped  in  your  steps  all  the  way." 

That  will  be  true  of  you,  teachers, 
officers,  members,  all  who  undertake 
to  teach  the  truth  in  the  Church  and 
kingdom  of  God  to  its  young  mem- 
bership. They  may  forget  what  you 
say,  but  they'll  step  in  your  steps 
all  the  way.  This  is  an  awe-inspiring 
responsibility. 

Let  us  teach  them  that  morality  de- 
pends upon  one's  capacity  to  be 
aware  of  and  to  identify  oneself  in  a 
wholesome  way  with  others;  that 
morality  is  an  eternal  quest  for  com- 
passion in  a  world  often  dominated  by 
callousness;  that  every  human  con- 
tact, whether  physical,  mental,  or 
spiritual  must  be  clean  and  whole- 
some if  the  memory  of  them  is  to  be 
enjoyed.  As  James  Barrie  said,  "God 
gave  us  memory  that  we  might  have 
roses  in  December."  Let  us  teach 
them  that  the  heart  has  a  certainty 
which  the  mind  cannot  fully  compre- 
hend and  to  listen  to  the  whisperings 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Teach  them  that 
more  important  than  our  theories  is 
the  way  we  act,  more  significant  than 
analysis,  is  our  capacity  for  faith; 
more  valuable  than  our  intellect  is  our 
sense  of  morality. 

Young  men  and  young  women  of 
the  Church,  we,  your  seniors,  some  of 
us  having  spent  almost  a  lifetime 
among  you — and  we  thank  God  for 
that  glorious  privilege — would  ask 
for  no  higher  appointment  than  to 
work  and  be  associated  with  you.  We 
plead  with  you  to  keep  your  eye  on 
your  goal  which  is  Godhood.  Milton 
said,  "The  chief  aim  of  life  is  to  come 
to  know  God,  and  through  that 
knowledge  to  love  and  to  imitate 
him." 


General  MIA  executives  and  board  members  greet  conference  guests  on  Temple  Square. 
SEPTEMBER  1956 


Be  aware  of  your  limitless  possi- 
bilities because  of  your  God-like 
status.  Live  worthily.  Keep  clean. 
You  will  need  firmer  and  purer  char- 
acter, higher  integrity,  larger  spiritual 
vision,  unimpeachable  and  unshak- 
able fidelity,  and  a  righteous  and 
dynamic  faith  as  you  resist  the  down- 
drag  of  this  atomic  age. 

Go  forward  and  win,  and  I  promise 
you  you  can,  but  it  will  not  be  an 
easy  fight.  Be  like  those  fine  young 
men  in  uniform.  Be  unashamed  of 
the  truth.  Keep  close  to  God.  I 
pray  that  you  may  have  the  ambition 
to  be  the  kind  of  young  men  and 
young  women  of  whom  the  President 
and  great  leaders  of  the  Church  can 
justly  be  proud,  and  can  hold  you  up 
to  all  the  world  and  say,  "This  is 
Mormonism." 

I  say  the  way  will  not  be  easy. 
Eliza  R.  Snow  put  it  well  when  she 
said  in  one  of  our  hymns: 

Be  fixed  in  your  purpose,  for  Satan  will 
try  you 

The  weight  of  your  calling  he  perfectly 
knows 

Your  path  may  be  thorny,  but  Jesus  is 
nigh  you 

His  arm  is  sufficient,  though  demons  op- 
pose. 

I  could  not  do  better,  I  am  sure,  in 
closing  than  to  bring  to  you  officers, 
teachers,  and  members  of  the  MIA 
the  words  of  the  Lord — his  yearning, 
pleading  words,  coupled  with  a  prom- 
ise: 

...  let  virtue  garnish  thy  thoughts  un- 
ceasingly; then  shall  thy  confidence  wax 
strong  in  the  presence  of  God;  and  the  doc- 
trine of  the  priesthood  shall  distil  upon  thy 
soul  as  the  dews  from  heaven. 

The  Holy  Ghost  shall  be  thy  constant 
companion,  and  thy  scepter  an  unchanging 
scepter  of  righteousness  and  truth;  and  thy 
dominion  shall  be  an  everlasting  dominion, 
and  without  compulsory  means  it  shall  flow 
unto  thee  forever  and  ever.  (D  &  C  121:45- 
46.) 

Brethren  and  sisters,  I  humbly  bear 
testimony  that  God  has  been  so  good 
to  me  personally  as  to  cause  me  to 
know  from  the  center  of  my  heart 
to  the  ends  of  my  fingers  and  toes 
that  this  is  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
that  the  Church  is  led  by  prophets 
of  God,  that  Jesus  himself  is  coming 
again  to  live  and  to  rule  among  men. 
I  commend  you  for  the  fine  work  you 
are  doing,  and  assure  you  of  the  love 
and  confidence  of  the  brethren  with 
whom  I  have  the  privilege  to  asso- 
ciate. We  believe  in  you,  and  in  your 
future.  We  pray  that  God  will  help 
us  all  to  carry  on  to  the  end,  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ.     Amen. 

629 


There  Were  Jaredites 


The  Shining  Stones— Continued 

Twenty-four  hours  later  the  orien- 
talist received  his  two  friends  with 
beaming  benevolence  and  a  table 
piled  with  old  texts  and  a  number 
of  bound  periodicals. 

"Well,  sirs,"  he  began  as  they  sat 
down  around  the  table,  "I  have 
something  for  you!  Not  much,  of 
course- — that  would  take  some  time — 
but  enough.  Let  us  begin  by  con- 
sidering the  Jewish  sources  that  wor- 
ried us  yesterday,  going  from  the 
latest  to  the  earliest.  The  Midrash 
Rabbah  tells  us  that  the  various  con- 
flicting opinions  of  the  rabbis  as  to 
the  true  nature  of  the  tsohar,  the  light 
in  the  ark,  simply  demonstrates  the 
fact  that  none  of  them  knew  what 
it  was.31  Rabbi  Akiba  ben  Kahmana, 
for  example,  says  it  means  a  skylight, 
while  R.  Levi  says  it  was  a  precious 
stone.  R.  Phineas,  quoted  by  R.  Levi, 
explains  that  'during  the  whole 
twelve  months  that  Noah  was  in  the 
Ark  he  did  not  require  the  light  of 
the  sun  by  day  or  the  moon  by  night, 
but  he  had  a  polished  gem  which  he 
hung  up:  when  it  was  dim  he  knew 
that  it  was  day,  and  when  it  shone 
he  knew  it  was  night.'32  To  illustrate 
this  odd  arrangement,  Rabbi  Huna 
tells  a  story:  'Once  we  were  taking 
refuge  from  (Roman)  troops  in  the 
caves  of  Tiberias.  We  had  lamps 
with  us:  when  they  were  dim  we 
knew  that  it  was  day,  and  when  they 
shone  brightly  we  knew  that  it  was 
night.'33  The  reference  to  hiding 
from  the  Romans  shows  that  this  tra- 
dition is  at  least  two  thousand  years 
old.  But  all  such  stories  seem  to  go 
back  to  a  single  source,  a  brief  no- 
tice in  the  Jerushalmi  or  Palestinian 
Talmud,  which  reports  that  Noah  was 
able  to  distinguish  day  from  night  by 
certain  precious  stones  he  possessed, 
which  became  dim  by  day  and  shone 
forth  by  night."34 

"Is  it  not  quite  conceivable,"  F.  in- 
terposed, "that  anyone  might  em- 
broider these  accounts  into  the  Jared- 
ite  story?" 

"There  is  no  limit  to  the  embroi- 
dery that  can  be  put  on  a  tale,  I  sup- 

630 


by  Dr.  Hugh  Nibley 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNIVERSITY 

pose,  but  it  so  happens  that  the  pe- 
culiar elaboration  of  the  story  in 
Ether  follows  other  and  much  fuller 
and  older  versions — far  older,  in  fact, 
than  anything  in  the  Talmud.  And 
none  of  those  versions  was  known 
when  I  was  a  boy.  That  is  what 
makes  me  wonder.  What  is  more,  it 
seems  to  me  quite  unthinkable  that 
anyone  writing  the  Book  of  Mormon 
at  that  time  either  exploited  the  Jew- 
ish sources  or  knew  about  them." 

"Why  unthinkable?"   F.   asked. 

"Well,  first  with  regard  to  using 
the  material,  you  can  be  sure  that 
anyone  who  had  access  to  this  old 
Jewish  stuff,  whether  at  first  or  sec- 
ond hand,  had  a  gold  mine  of  use- 
ful information  at  his  disposal.  Yet 
he  never  makes  use  of  any  of  it  with 
the  exception  of  this  one  little  note. 
Along  with  that,  the  chances  of  any- 
one coming  across  this  item  seems  in- 
finitely remote  when  one  considers 
where  it  is  found,  namely,  in  the 
Palestinian  Talmud." 

"What  is  so  inaccessible  about  the 
Palestinian  Talmud?" 

"Everything.  One  might  have  been 
reading  sometime  in  the  Babylonian 
Talmud,  but  in  the  Jerusalem 'Tal- 
mud? Never! — only  eminent  rabbis 
ever  read  or  cite  it.35  Do  you  see 
these  four  modest  volumes?  They 
represent  all  the  printed  editions  of 
the  Palestine  Talmud  that  have  ever 
appeared!  Two  of  them  came  out 
after  1860,  and  could  not  have  been 
used  by  the  author  of  Ether;  the  other 
two  are  the  Bomberg  edition  of  1523 
and  1524  which  as  you  see  contains 
no  commentary,  and  the  Cracow  edi- 
tion of  1609,  with  a  very  short  com- 
mentary on  the  margin." 

"How  about  translations?"  Blank 
inquired. 

"Even  worse.  In  1781  a  small  sec- 
tion was  translated  into  German — it 
was  not  the  section  in  which  our 
story  occurs,  by  the  way — and  there 
was  nothing  after  that  until  the  Ger- 
man translation  of  1880.  Schwab's 
French  translation  done  between  1871 
and  1890  is  the  best  known;  Schwab 
also  undertook  an  English  version  in 
1886  but  only  completed  the  begin- 


ning of  it.  But  no  translation  was 
available  in  any  modern  language  in 
1830,  and  who  could  read  the  origi- 
nal?36  Who  can  read  it  today?  It  is 
in  the  difficult  West  Aramaic  dialect 
— not  the  East  Aramaic  of  the  Baby- 
lonian Talmud,  which  is  close  to 
modern  Hebrew — and  so  many  of  the 
words  are  technical  that  nobody 
knows  what  they  mean  anyway. :i7 
It  is  much  smaller  and  is  considered 
much  duller  than  the  Babylonian 
Talmud — and  who  reads  that?  Right 
now  Professor  Zeitlin  is  loudly  pro- 
claiming that  the  host  of  scholars  at 
work  on  the  Dead  Sea  Scrolls  are 
one  and  all  unqualified  to  read 
medieval  Hebrew — which  means  that 
he  is  about  the  only  man  in  America 
who  can!  The  scholars  and  ministers 
who  studied  Hebrew  in  America  in 
1830's  knew  rabbinical  Hebrew  no 
better  than  they  do  today;  their  whole 
interest  was  in  the  Old  Testament, 
and  if  any  of  them  ever  looked  into 
the  Talmud,  you  can  be  sure  it  was 
not  the  Jerushalmi.  Then  too  we 
must  not  overlook  the  fact  that  the 
Jewish  accounts  do  not  say  that  Noah 
used  the  gems  for  illumination,  but 
only  to  distinguish  day  from  night." 

"That  seems  like  a  strange  quib- 
ble," said  F. 

"Yet  all  the  sources  insist  on  it. 
They  never  come  out  and  say  that 
Noah  used  the  stones  for  lamps,  but 
only  that  he  used  them  to  tell  day 
from  night.  That  no  doubt  seems 
strange  to  you,  but  it  happened  to  be 
a  subject  of  considerable  concern  and 
discussion  among  the  ancient  doctors, 
both  Jewish  and  Moslem.  They  had 
a  good  deal  to  say  about  distinguish- 
ing when  it  was  day  and  when  night 
by  such  ingenious  methods  as  hang- 
ing up  a  black  and  a  white  thread 
side  by  side  or  by  distinguishing  cer- 
tain forms  or  objects  of  certain  size 
and  certain  shape.  You  see  in  their 
way  of  thinking  it  is  extremely  im- 
portant for  ritual  reasons  to  know 
when  it  is  night  and  when  it  is  day. 
There  was  a  whole  branch  of  divine 
science  devoted  to  the  subject,  and 
this  naturally  was  the  aspect  of  the 
shining  stones  that  would  interest  any 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


rabbi — not  the  problem  of  illumina- 
tion. I  can  assure  you  that  only  a 
rabbi  would  ever  have  read  this  pas- 
sage in  America  a  hundred  years  ago. 
Apart  from  all  this,  it  is  quite  plain 
to  me  that  the  account  in  Ether  was 
not  taken  from  the  Jewish  sources. 
As  I  said,  it  is  much  nearer  to  a  far 
more  ancient  source  of  recent  dis- 
covery; for  example,  your  book  of 
Ether  says  that  the  brother  of  Jared 
made  transparent  stones  by  'molten- 
ing'  them  out  of  rock — the  word  is 
perfectly  good  English,  by  the  way, 
though  archaic.  Where  do  you  think 
he  got  the  idea?" 

"I  have  read  the  book  to  oblige 
Blank  here,"  said  F.  "As  I  recall,  the 
Lord  is  supposed  to  have  told  him 
what  to  do." 

"Nothing  of  the  sort!"  cried  Blank. 
"In  building  his  ships  there  were 
three  problems  which  the  brother  of 
Jared  recognized  as  insoluble  by  con- 
ventional means,  namely  the  problem 
of  navigation  under  condition  of  per- 
petual storm  with  overcast  skies,  the 
problem  of  ventilation,  and  the  prob- 
lem of  lighting.  (Ether  2:19.)  As  to 
the  last  of  these,  the  Lord  told  him 
that  the  usual  methods  of  lighting 
by  windows  and  fire  would  not  do — 
the  wording  of  Ether  2:23  makes  it 
quite  clear  that  those  were  the 
ordinary  methods  used.  But  instead 
of  solving  the  Jaredites'  problem  for 
them  by  giving  them  a  light  on  the 
,  spot  or  telling  them  how  to  make  one, 
the  Lord  put  the  brother  of  Jared 
entirely  on  his  own  by  retorting  to 
his  question,  '.  .  .  Lord,  wilt  thou 
suffer  that  we  shall  cross  this  great 
water  in  darkness?'  with  another 
question:  'What  will  ye  that  I  should 
do  that  ye  may  have  light  in  your 
vessels?  .  .  .'"  (Ether  2:22,  25.) 

"And  being  thus  thrown  back  on 
his  own  resources,  what  would  the 
great  man  do?"  Schwulst  asked  with 
a  smile.  "He  would  do  what  he  had 
done  before — follow  the  example  of 
Noah.  So  he  proceeded  to  cast  some 
clear  transparent  stones  in  the  hope 
that  they  might  be  made  to  shine  in 
the  dark." 

"Did  Noah  do  that?"  F.  asked  with 
astonishment. 

"That  is  the  part  I  am  now  com- 
ing to,  if  you  will  have  a  little  pa- 
tience. First  of  all,  then,  the  brother 
of  Jared  made  some  transparent 
stones    by    'moltening'    them   out    of 


rock,  a  process  requiring  a  very  high 
temperature  indeed.  Now  the  oldest 
writings  of  India,  reporting  her  oldest 
traditions,  have  a  good  deal  to  say 
about  a  particular  stone  that  shines 
in  the  dark;38  such  a  stone,  we  are 
told,  can  be  produced  only  by  sub- 
jecting a  stone  or  the  heart  of  a  per- 
son who  died  of  poison  to  terrific 
heat — it  must  in  fact  be  kept  in  an 
exceedingly  hot  fire  for  no  less  than 
nine  years!  This  would  turn  it  to  a 
perfectly  clear,  transparent  crystal,  we 
are  told,  and  this  crystal  'would  il- 
luminate even  the  deepest  darkness 
and  sometimes  shine  as  brightly  as 
the  sun.'39  Meyer  and  Printz  have 
traced  this  strange  belief  from  India 
to  China  and  the  West,  where  it  is 
mentioned  by  some  of  the  most  cele- 
brated scholars  of  the  Middle  Ages. 
It  was  even  believed  in  Europe  that 
the  Holy  Grail  was  such  a  jewel  and 
of  such  fiery  power  that  the  phoenix- 
bird  cremated  itself  in  its  heat  and 
was  thus  reborn,  for  among  other 
things  the  stone  had  the  power  of 
regeneration."10 

"And  what,"  said  F.,  "has  that  to 
do  with  the  shining  stones  of  the 
ark?" 

"A  great  deal,  if  you  will  follow 
me.  The  stone  was  known  to  the 
Greeks  and  hence  to  the  Middle  Ages 
as  the  Pyrophilos  or  'Friend  of  Fire,' 
and  is  most  fully  described  in  the 
Indian  sources  which  say  it  was  a 
perfectly  transparent  crystal  and  also 
went  by  the  name  of  'Moonfriend' 
and  Jalakanta  or  'that  which  causes 
the  waters  to  part.'  For  among  all  its 
marvelous  properties,  such  as  protect- 
ing its  bearer  from  poisons,  lightning, 
fire,  and  enemies,  its  most  particular 
power  and  virtue  was  that  it  enabled 
its  possessor  to  pass  unharmed 
through  the  depths   of  the  waters.41 

"Dear  me!"  Blank  interrupted. 
"That  is  surely  something  of  a  coinci- 
dence: a  transparent  stone  formed 
with  fierce  heat  that  shines  in  the 
dark  and  guides  and  preserves  its 
owner  beneath  the  waves!  Where  do 
you  think  the  Indians  got  all  that?" 

"That  has  been  the  subject  of  con- 
siderable search,"  Schwulst  replied, 
"and  it  is  quite  clear  that  the  tradi- 
tion did  not  originate  in  India,  though 
it  may  have  been  brought  there  at  a 
very  early  time  by  an  offshoot  of  the 
same  Indo-European  people  to  whom 
the  story  has  been  traced  far  to  the 


north.  But  it  has  been  so  traced  only 
by  following  a  trail  that  led  to  the 
earliest  Babylonian  accounts  of  guess 
what — the  deluge!  Later  writers 
quote  a  letter  from  the  philosopher 
Aesculapius  to  the  Emperor  Au- 
gustus, in  which  he  describes  the 
Pyrophilus  as  the  heart  of  a  poisoned 
man  turned  into  stone  by  nine  years 
in  the  furnace;  he  also  says  that 
Alexander  the  Great  possessed  such 
a  stone,  which  he  carried  in  his  belt, 
but  that  once  while  he  was  bathing  he 
laid  the  belt  aside,  and  a  serpent 
stole  the  stone  and  vomited  it  into 
the  Euphrates.42  Aristotle  tells  the 
same  story  three  hundred  years  ear- 
lier, and  other  Greek  writers  know 
of  it  many  years  before  Alexander 
was  born.43  In  these  older  versions 
the  stone  is  interchangeable  with  the 
plant  of  life — it  was  a  life-giving  stone, 
as  the  case  of  the  phoenix  shows — 
or  the  "medicine  of  immortality.44  In 
this  form  the  story  is  identical  with 
the  prehistoric  Sumerian  tale  of  Gil- 
gamesh  and  the  plant  of  life,  as  many 
scholars  were  prompt  to  recognize  as 
soon  as  the  latter  was  published  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. Printz  points  out  that  this 
relationship  illustrates  both  'the  im- 
mense span  of  time'  over  which 
traditions  can  survive  and  the  degree 
to  which  they  can  become  distorted 
in  the  process  of  transmission  and 
still  preserve  clearly  recognizable 
traits.45  This  story,  in  fact,  seems  to 
go  back  to  that  pre-Sumerian  epic 
milieu  that  Kramer  talks  about.  In 
the  oldest  Babylonian  version  only 
one  person  can  tell  the  hero  how  and 
where  to  get  the  plant  of  life,  and 
that  person  is  Ut-napishtim,  the 
Babylonian  Noah.  He  it  was  who 
had  possessed  the  plant  of  life  which 
from  the  earliest  times  seems  to  be 
confused  with  a  shining  stone."40 

"Where  do  we  find  the  stone?" 
"In  the  west — in  Syria.  There  we 
find  a  most  interesting  series  of  ritual 
texts  which  for  fulness  and  detail  are 
hardly  to  be  matched  anywhere.  The 
actual  documents  cover  a  full  two 
thousand  years,  and  the  things  they 
deal  with  are  far  older,  as  a  lit- 
tle comparative  study  will  show. 
Through  all  that  period  they  tell  es- 
sentially the  same  story,  the  now 
well-known  'Year-Drama'  in  which 
the    death    and    resurrection   of    the 

(Continued  on  following  page) 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


631 


i 


There  Were  Jaredites 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

hero,  his  victory  over  the  powers  of 
the  underworld,  and  his  marriage 
with  the  Mother  Goddess  are  the 
principal  episodes.  The  hero  him- 
self goes  by  many  names,  but  the 
ones  that  concern  us  here  are  Attis 
and  Humbaba,  whom  Stocks  has 
shown  to  be  one.  and  the  same  per- 
son.47 Everyone  knows  about  Attis 
who  is  identical  with  the  Syrian 
Adonis  who  is  identical  in  turn  with 
the  Egyptian  Osiris,  but  as  the  pre- 
Sumerian  Humbaba  he  is  less  famil- 
iar." 

"A     strange-sounding    name,"     F. 
commented. 

"It  is  a  Hurrian  name,  like  Noah," 
Schwulst  replied.  "That  illustrates 
my  remark  that  everything  points  to 
a  mysterious  people  of  the  north.  That 
opens  up  the  way  to  a  lot  of  investi- 
gation and  speculation,  but  now  let 
us  consider  the  Syrian  hero.  The 
most  celebrated  shrine  in  the  East  in 
classical  times  was  the  cult  center  of 
this  hero  and  his  wife  the  Syrian 
goddess  at  Aphek.  Lucian  visited  the 
shrine  which  he  describes  as  the  great- 
est cult  center  in  the  world.  The 
principal  legend  of  the  place  and  that 
invoked  most  often  to  explain  rites 
and  customs  observed  there  was  the 
story  of  Deucalion  and  the  flood, 
which  Lucian  recounts  in  detail, 
showing  it  to  be  quite  close  to  the 
biblical  account.48  The  vast  throngs 
of  pilgrims  that  came  to  Aphek  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  were  shown  the 
hole  down  which  the  waters  of  the 
flood  were  said  to  have  retreated  and 
told  how  Deucalion  erected  at  that 
spot  the  first  temple  and  the  first 
building  to  be  constructed  after  the 
deluge.49  The  most  remarkable  ob- 
ject in  the  temple  was,  according  to 
Lucian,  'a  stone  which  is  called 
lychnis,  and  the  name  is  very  appro- 
priate; for  by  night  it  gives  off  a  good 
deal  of  light,  which  illuminates  the 
whole  shrine  just  like  a  lamp,  though 
by  day  the  glow  is  weak.  It  looks  ex- 
actly as  if  it  were  burning.'  This 
stone  shone  forth  from  the  crown  of 
an  image  of  the  lady  in  her  capacity 
of  moon-goddess.50  Nothing  could  be 
more  natural  than  to  associate  with 
the  moon  a  stone  that  shines  by  night 
and  is  dim  by  day.  You  will  recall 
that  the  principal  designation  of  the 
shining  crystal  in  the  Indian  descrip- 
tions is  'Moonfriend.'  " 

632 


"We  may  also  recall,"  Blank  com- 
mented, "that  the  magur-boat  of  the 
Sumerian  Noah  was  compared  with 
the  moon,  not  only  because  it 
was  crescent-shaped  and  wandered 
through  space  for  twelve  months,  but 
especially  because  it  was  illuminated 
by  a  miraculous  light." 

"Then  couldn't  the  whole  story  of 
a  miraculously  illuminated  ark  have 
come  down  from  an  original  moon- 
cult?"  F.  demanded. 

"A  boat  may  remind  anyone  of  the 
moon  after  it  is  built,"  Blank  replied, 
"but  the  moon  cannot  have  supplied 
the  model  for  any  workable  boat.  The 
moon  is  always  there  for  all  to  see, 
but  one  can  only  compare  it  with  a 
boat  after  one  has  seen  not  only  the 
moon  but  boats  as  well.  You  can 
see  from  that  that  our  whole  story 
must  start  with  a  boat.  You  know 
as  well  as  I  do  that  the  oldest  graves 
and  the  oldest  temples  in  the  world 
contain  beautiful  and  accurate  boat- 
models  and  sometimes  full-sized  boats. 
Whatever  the  symbolism  may  be,  they 
are  always  real  boats  or  scale  models 
of  such.  Today  the  experts  are  play- 
ing around  a  good  deal  with  the 
idea  that  these  boats  refer  to  some 
great  primal  migration,  for  which  the 
ark  of  Noah  is  the  archtype.  Granted 
the  boat  theme,  the  ancients  were 
free  to  add  any  ritual  or  mythological 
frills  that  caught  their  fancy,  the 
most  obvious  being  the  moon  motif 
which  every  poet  discovers  inde- 
pendently. But  the  whole  thing  be- 
gan with  a  real  boat,  not  with  the 
'nature  myths'  that  were  once  so 
popular  with  scholars  but  have  now 
been  so  completely  discredited." 

"On  that  point,"  said  Professor 
Schwulst,  "we  must  insist  that  the 
Babylonian  coloring  of  this  and  many 
other  tales  of  great  antiquity  does  not 
imply  for  a  moment  that  the  story  it- 
self has  a  Babylonian  origin.  Take 
the  Greek  stories  of  Deucalion's  flood, 
for  example:  They  go  back  to  pre- 
historic times  and  to  sources  far  older 
than  any  Bible  manuscripts  we  pos- 
sess. Yet  no  one  ever  suggests  that 
the  deluge  story  originated  with  the 
Greeks.  Why  not?  Simply  because 
the  Greek  versions  of  the  story  have 
been  known  all  along  and  did  not 
need  to  be  dug  up  by  archaeologists. 
If  they  had  first  been  discovered  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  you  can  be 
sure  they  would  have  been  instantly 


hailed  as  debunking  the  Bible!    But 
let  us  return  to  our  Syrian  stone. 

"Jirku  has  pointed  out  that  the 
moon  cult  of  Syria  goes  back  to  pre- 
historic times,  so  that  what  Lucian 
is  describing  is  of  great  age — albeit 
overlaid,  as  such  old  traditions  always 
are,  by  all  sorts  of  mythologized  and 
rationalized  explanations.51  Macro- 
bius,  for  example,  says  the  image  of 
the  Lady  was  crowned  with  an  ar- 
rangement designed  to  represent  a 
sunburst  of  rays  'which  symbolize  the 
way  in  which  Mother  Earth  is  made 
to  bring  forth  life  by  the  fructifying 
rays  sent  from  above.'  In  his  day  the 
stone  was  not  working,  apparently, 
but  the  crown  on  the  image  was  de- 
signed to  look  as  if  it  emitted  a  life- 
giving  light.52  Carl  Clemen  believes 
that  the  report  that  one  of  the  jewels 
that  adorned  the  image  of  the  God- 
dess actually  shone  in  the  dark  is 
'naturally  an  impossibility.'  "53 

"Do  you  think  there  actually  could 
have  been  such  stone?"  F.  asked. 

"I  think  you  will  find  in  Athanasius 
Kirchner  that  the  ancients  were 
familiar  with  the  properties  of  such 
fluorescent  stones  as  barite,  which 
will  shine  for  some  time  in  the  dark 
after  exposure  to  the  sunlight  or  after 
being  placed  near  a  fire.  The  question 
would  require  some  looking  into,  but 
it  is  notable  that  all  sources  describe 
the  shining  stones  only  as  part-time 
illuminators:  they  seem  to  fade  out 
completely  during  the  day.  But  after 
all  what  we  are  dealing  with  here  is 
not  scientific  or  historic  fact,  but 
literary  and  legendary  coincidence, 
which  can  be  just  as  instructive  in  its 
way.  Here,  for  example,  Stocks  points 
out  that  the  image  of  the  ark  at  the 
great  Syrian  shrine  was  represented 
by  an  altar  with  a  burning  fire  on 
it  which  seemed  to  be  floating  on  a 
lake  so  that  the  devout  could  only 
gain  access  to  it  by  swimming."54 

"A  sort  of  baptism,  eh?"  said  F. 
with  a  laugh. 

"It  is  not  so  fantastic,  at  that," 
Schwulst  replied.  "Remember,  we 
have  in  things  like  this  a  great  wealth 
and  intermingling  of  typology — one 
thing  is  the  type  of  another.  In  the 
earliest  times  the  shining  stone  was 
confused  with  the  plant  of  life,  as  we 
have  seen;  and  we  have  just  noted 
that  Macrobius  describes  the  light  of 
the  lady's  crown  as  life-giving." 

(Continued   on  page   672) 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


To  Make  a  Home 


Waiting  for  them,  seated  in  a  row  on  the 
top  step  of  the  veranda,  sat  the  twins,  Lester, 
Chester,  and  little  Debbie. 


by  Pansye  H.  Powell 


When  John  Ferris  opened  the 
back  door  of  his  home  after 
putting  his  car  in  the  garage 
at  the  end  of  a  busy  day  at  the  office, 
he  knew  that  Mary  had  been  clean- 
ing again.  A  narrow  lane  of  news- 
papers spread  carefully  in  a  path 
across  the  porch  indicated  the  line  of 
his  approach  to  the  kitchen  door. 
He  knew  by  experience  that  another 
lane  would  lead  him  across  the  newly 
waxed  linoleum  of  the  kitchen  into 
the  living  room. 

John  smiled  indulgently  and  stepped 
carefully  as  directed.  He  did  not  call 
out  as  he  would  have  liked  to  do, 
heralding  his  approach  to  the  kitchen 
door.  Mary  would  be  asleep  prob- 
ably, tired  from  her  all-day  siege  of 
scrubbing,  shaking,  waxing,  and 
otherwise  recleaning  a  house  that  to 
John  always  looked  immaculate.  He 
would  not  disturb  her.  Supper  would 
probably  be  late,  too;  but  he  would 
let  her  sleep.  If  she  were  not  asleep, 
she  would  be  resting. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


But  as  he  entered  the  kitchen,  he 
was  surprised  to  find  Mary  busily 
slicing  tomatoes  and  cucumbers  for 
salad.  The  table  in  the  breakfast  nook 
was  set  for  two,  and  potatoes  were 
bubbling  merrily  on  the  stove.  John's 
heart  skipped  a  beat  at  the  sight  of 
the  curly  headed,  trim  little  figure  in 
pink  gingham  standing  by  the  kitchen 
sink.  Married  only  six  months,  he 
still  felt  at  times  that  all  this  was 
unreal — the  neat  little  house,  his  in- 
dustrious young  wife,  the  hominess 
and  security  of  it  all. 

"Hello,  darling,"  she  called  cheerily 
and  leaned  her  face  toward  him  to 
be  kissed.  "Dinner  will  be  ready  as 
soon  as  I  cook  the  steak." 

John  smiled  contentedly,  pressing 
his  cheek  against  hers  for  a  second. 
She  was  so  sweet,  so  lovable,  and  so 
unpredictable.  Here  he  was  expect- 
ing her  to  be  tired  out  from  her  day's 
activities,  and  she  was  apparently  as 
alert  as  she  had  been  at  eight  o'clock 
when   he   dashed  off   to   work.    He 


glanced  around  at  the  spick-and-span 
kitchen  and  involuntarily  felt  a  thrill 
of  pride  that  this  was  his  house.  It 
was  as  attractive  and  neat  as  the  home 
of  any  other  young  couple  in  the 
town;  he  would  never  be  ashamed  to 
bring  anyone  home  to  this  place.  If 
only  Mary  didn't  take  it  so  seriously. 
She  had  set  out  to  be  the  best  house- 
keeper in  town,  and  she  was  well  on 
the  way. 

"We're  having  company  tonight," 
she  called,  as  John  settled  down  in 
his  chair  in  the  living  room  to  read 
the  paper  while  he  waited  for  dinner. 
"The  Schultzes  are  coming  to  call  on 
us — the  Grover  T.  Schultzesl" 

"How  does  that  happen?  I  didn't 
know  you  knew  them." 

"Oh,  I  met  her  at  Relief  Society 
meeting.  She's  said  to  be  one  of  the 
best  housekeepers  in  this  town.  Her 
husband  could  hire  all  the  help  she 
needs,  but  she  prefers  to  do  things 
herself.  I  can  understand  that,  of 
{Continued  on  following  page) 

633 


To  Make  a  Home 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 
course;  I  always  feel  I  can  do  things  to 
suit  me,  when  other  people  can't." 

John  knew  about  the  Grover  T. 
Schultzes.  He  was  the  president  of 
the  Center  County  Bank,  the  largest 
of  the  three  banks  in  Lathrop.  The 
Schultzes  lived  in  a  big  two-story 
white  house  set  back  on  a  spacious 
lawn.  They  lived  alone,  their  one 
daughter  having  married  and  moved 
to  another  town  sixty  miles  away. 
John  had  met  Mr.  Schultz  in  the 
course  of  his  business — a  little  man, 
he  was,  rather  thin,  with  a  close- 
clipped  white  mustache  and  gray 
hair.  John  had  heard  that  Mr. 
Schultz  was  henpecked.  It  was  a 
joke  among  the  men  at  the  business- 
men's club  that  Grover  T.  Schultz  had 
to  take  off  his  shoes  when  he  went 
into  the  house.  Now  John  could 
understand  why — his  wife  was  one 
of  the  best  housekeepers  in  town. 

Over  steak  and  salad  Mary  com- 
mented, "I  do  hope  the  house  looks 
all  right.  She  and  I  had  so  much  in 
common  on  the  day  we  met  at  Relief 
Society.  I  don't  want  to  give  the 
wrong  impression." 

"Your  house  always  looks  right," 
John  answered  encouragingly.  "You 
don't  need  to  worry.  They  are  coming 
to  see  us,  you  know,  not  the  house." 

"Yes  .  .  .  but.  .  .  ."  Mary's  tone 
showed  that  she  still  considered  the 
house  most  important  to  this  visit. 
"We  don't  have  as  much  as  they,  of 
course,  but  what  we  have  can  be  as 
neat  and  clean  as  I  can  make  it. 
Someday  we'll  have  more,  too." 

They  did  the  dishes  together.  Mary 
gave  the  living  room  furniture  a  final 
dusting  before  she  changed  her  dress 
and  fluffed  her  curly  bob  around  her 
piquant  face.  John's  pride  was  bound- 
less as  he  watched  her  in  the  door- 
way, surveying  her  little  domain  with 
a  critical  eye. 

"Think  we'll  pass  inspection?"  he 
queried. 

"You  will,  handsome."  She  pressed 
a  kiss  against  his  cheek  in  sudden 
approval.  "And  I  hope  I  will — but 
does  the  house  look  all  right?  Per- 
haps I  should  have  shaken  those  cur- 
tains again  today.  And  I  didn't  wash 
the  woodwork  in  here;  I  did  it  two 
weeks  ago,  so  I  thought  it  would  do." 

She  was  putting  a  pitcher  of  punch 
in  the  refrigerator  when  the  doorbell 
rang.  John  had  already  seen  a  batch 
of  Mary's  luscious  oatmeal  cookies 
sitting  on  the  kitchen  cabinet. 

634 


John  opened  the  door  and  greeted 
their  callers  hospitably.  Mrs.  Schultz 
was  short  and  thin,  too,  like  Mr. 
Schultz.  John  noticed  the  quick  way 
she  scanned  the  room  as  he  escorted 
them  into  the  living  room.  He 
thought  he  detected  approval,  but 
he  pretended  not  to  notice  her 
scrutiny.  When  Mary  came  in,  John 
could  see  that  she  and  Mrs.  Schultz 
were  already  good  friends. 

What  surprised  John  was  that 
Mary,  who  had  grown  up  in  a  com- 
fortable, clean,  but  cheerfully  untidy 
house,  could  be  so  meticulous  about 
her  own  home.  She  was  asking  Mrs. 
Schultz  question  after  question  about 
cleaning  agents  and  the  best  way  to 
do  the  thousand  jobs  that  any  house- 
keeper has  to  manage.  Mrs.  Schultz 
was  generous  with  advice. 

While  the  punch  and  cookies  were 
being  served,  Mr.  Schultz  mentioned 
that  their  daughter  and  her  three 
small  children  were  coming  soon  for 
a  visit  during  the  children's  vacation. 

"They're  live  wires,"  he  added. 
"Two  boys — twins — and  a  little  girl, 
all  full  of  pep  and  into  things  every 
minute." 

"How  old  are  the  children?"  Mary 
asked,  as  she  poured  him  another 
glass  of  punch. 

Mrs.  Schultz  spoke  up.  "The  twins 
are  eight;  little  Debbie  is  four." 

"Do  they  come  home  often?" 

"Not  often  enough,"  Mr.  Schultz 
answered.  "When  were  they  home 
last,  Mother?" 

"It  was  last  October,  when  they 
had  a  long  week  end  during  teachers' 
convention.  I  so  much  wanted  them 
to  be  here  for  Christmas,  but  they 
haven't  been  able  to  come  for  Christ- 
mas since  the  boys  were  a  year  old. 
They  came  home  then  for  a  week,  but 
they've  had  all  their  other  Christ- 
mases  at  their  own  home;  their  father 
prefers  them  there  for  the  holidays." 

"It's  certainly  nice  that  they're 
coming  now,"  Mary  said.  "Will  they 
be  able  to  stay  longer  this  time?" 

"Oh,  they  never  stay  very  long 
when  they  come.  Children  are  so 
much  better  off  in  their  own  home," 
Mrs.  Schultz  continued.  "I  have  so 
little  now  that  amuses  them.  Toys 
clutter  up  the  house  so,  and  they  are 
a  little  hard  on  the  grass  when  they 
run  through  the  lawn  with  the  neigh- 
bor children.  They  usually  want  to 
go  home  after  just  a  few  days." 

"Like  to  have  you  meet  our  daugh- 
ter,"   Mr.    Schultz    said.     "She's    a 


mighty  good  little  mother  to  those 
three  youngsters — never  too  busy  to 
talk  to  them  or  help  them." 

"I'll  ask  one  of  Helen's  girlhood 
friends  to  bring  you  up  while  she  is 
here,"  Mrs.  Schultz  smiled.  "Martha 
Graham's  children  are  about  the  age 
of  Helen's.  I'll  tell  her  to  call  for 
you." 

After  the  Schultzes  were  gone,  Mary 
walked  thoughtfully  around  the  house, 
straightening  a  doily  here,  moving  a 
drapery  a  little  there. 

"Very  nice  people,  the  Schultzes," 
John  commented,  as  he  locked  the 
front  door. 

"Very,"  Mary  answered  laconical- 
ly. "She  really  must  have  a  very 
beautiful  home.  She  knows  so  much 
about  taking  care  of  things." 

"I'm  glad  you're  going  to  meet 
their  daughter.  She  knows  all  the 
young  women  in  town,  and  she'll  help 
you  to  become  better  acquainted." 

Mary  carefully  washed  the  glasses 
and  put  away  the  left-over  cookies 
and  punch.  "I'd  love  to  see  the  chil- 
dren," she  said.  "It's  really  too  bad 
that  they  don't  come  to  see  their 
grandparents  more  often.  They  don't 
live  so  very  far  away." 

John  said  nothing,  but  there  was 
an  extra  tenderness  when  he  put  his 
arms  around  her  and  held  her  close 
a  minute. 

rPwo  weeks  later  Mrs.  Schultz  invited 
■*■  Mary  to  meet  Helen.  Martha 
Graham  obligingly  called  for  Mary. 
Martha's  two  children  sat  primly  on 
the  back  seat  of  the  car,  their  hands 
at  rest  in  their  laps.  They  were  Jen- 
nifer, aged  four,  and  Harvey,  seven. 
They  were  scrubbed  and  very  polite 
when  their  mother  introduced  them 
to  Mary,  but  Jennifer  piped  up  sud- 
denly, "We're  going  to  a  party,  and 
we  have  to  be  good." 

Martha  smiled,  "They  know  that 
when  they  go  to  Mrs.  Schultz's  they 
have  to  be  on  their  best  behavior." 

"I  don't  want  to  go  much,"  Harvey 
put  in.  "She  makes  you  be  so  care- 
ful. You  can't  even  swing  in  her 
porch  swing;  it  mashes  down  the 
cushions  if  you  sit  on  them.  I'd  a  lot 
rather  go  to  see  the  twins  down  at 
their  house.    We  have  fun  there." 

Martha  explained.  "We  drive  down 
to  Helen's  house  in  Tremonton  sev- 
eral times  a  year.  Harvey  and  Debbie 
love  to  go  there.  They  can  play  any- 
where they  please,  within  bounds, 
that  is.  Helen  has  such  a  happy  little 
home.  She's  not  at  all  concerned 
about  housekeeping,  the  way  her 
(Continued  on  page  663) 
THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


GENEALOGY— 


Experiences 

I    in 

Research 


I  was  very  earnest  in  seeking  out 
my  genealogy  and  tracing  it  out 
of  my  native  country,  South 
Africa. 

It  was  on  my  Meyer  line  on  the 
fourth  generation  that  I  came  to  the 
name  of  my  great-grandmother,  Jo- 
hanna Magdalena  Meyer,  and  had  to 
trace  farther.  I  knew  she  was  born 
in  1845  and  that  she  was  born  at 
Prins  Albert,  Cape,  South  Africa. 

In  Cape  Town  the  missionary  in 
charge  of  genealogy  helped  check  the 
records  of  the  Cape. 

It  was  not  long  until  I  received  a 
letter  from  Cape  Town  giving  me  the 
date  of  birth  of  Johanna  Magdalena 
Meyer  as  November  27,  1845,  and 
christened  March  8,  1846.  Extract 
from  this  letter  is  as  follows: 

Concerning  Johanna  Magdalena  Meyer: 
I  received  the  information  of  her  parents 
from  the  christening  records  of  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  in  the  Archives  of  Cape 
Town,  following  is  a  copy  of  the  Christen- 
ing Record. 

JOHANNA  MAGDALENA  MEYER 

Born:  27  November,   1845 

Christened:  8  March,  1846 

Father:  Cornelia  Floris  Johannes  Meyer 

Mother:  Hester  Hendrina  Meyer 

Witnesses:  Cornelis  Floris  Johannes  Meyer 
Johanna  Magdalena  Swanepoel 
Jacobus  Johanes  Meyer 
Salomina  Fracina  Meyer. 

I  went  to  the  library  to  check  the 
DeVilliers  family  records  which  con- 
tain the  names  of  nearly  all  the  South 
African  families.  When  I  got  there 
and  opened  the  book  to  work  on  the 
line  of  Johanna  Magdalena  Meyer, 
my  mind  became  blank  and  I  had  no 
desire  to  continue,  but  when  I  turned 
to  another  name  I  was  filled  with  the 
spirit  to  proceed.  A  number  of  times 
I  tried  doing  research  on  Johanna 
Magdalena  Meyer,  but  every  time  had 
the  same  experience. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


by  Johann  Georg  Meyer,  Jr. 


I  then  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church  in  Prins  Albert  for 
a  death  certificate  of  Johanna  Mag- 
dalena Meyer  born  1845.  In  a  few 
days  I  received  a  christening  certifi- 
cate with  the  name  Johanna  Magda- 
lena Meyer  born  February  1,  1845 
and  christened  March  2,  1845,  which 
gave  her  parents  as  Johannes  Georg 
Meyer  and  Hester  Christiana  Mulder. 
I  again  went  to  the  library,  and  this 
time  it  was  as  though  these  people 
were  sitting  beside  me,  as  my  mind 
was  clear,  and  in  a  matter  of  days  I 
was  able  to  trace  back  seven  more 
generations,  making  a  total  on  that 
line  of  eleven  generations. 

I  wrote  to  the  missionaries  helping 
me  and  gave  them  the  information  I 
had  found.  This  is  the  reply  I  re- 
ceived : 

Yesterday  Mom  Yarn  received  your  letter 
stating  that  you  had  received  a  christening 
record  for  Johanna  Magdalena  Meyer  and 
that  by  so  doing  you  have  been  able  to 
find  out  that  that  line  is  wrong  that  we 
have  given  you.  I  also  have  a  christening 
record  for  her  and  it  gives  the  information 
that  we  have  given  you  and  also  it  has 
the  same  witnesses  as  you  sent  down  on  the 
other  christening  record  so  in  the  light  of 
what  we  have  been  able  to  receive  it  ap- 
pears that  we  have  just  as  much  proof  one 
way  as  we  have  the  other  so  I  would 
suggest  that  it  be  left  as  it  is  in  agreement 
with  President  Wright  [then  the  mission 
president  in  South  Africa]  unless  further 
information  can  be  received  to  prove  that 
it  should  be  changed.  If  you  receive  any 
further  information  I  would  certainly  ap- 
preciate it  if  you  would  write  me  on  what 
you  have  received. 

I  wrote  to  them  again  and  got  the 
following  reply: 

Thanks  for  your  letter  of  the  3rd.  And 
I  appreciate  and  admire  you  for  the  de- 
termination that  you  have  to  finish  your 
genealogy.  I  hope  that  you  will  be  able 
to  find  the  necessary  information  that  will 
lead  your  pedigree  lines  out  of  South 
Africa. 


I'm  not  going  to  argue  with  you  over  the 
name  of  Johanna  Magdalena  Meyer  be- 
cause I  said  in  my  last  letter  you  have  just 
as  much  proof  for  the  line  as  I  have  and 
if  you  feel  that  the  one  that  you  have  is 
correct  by  all  means  go  ahead  and  work 
on  that  line.  It  being  your  own  family 
line  you  would  be  in  a  better  position  to 
judge  which  is  right  than  I  am,  so  I  will 
alter  the  information  I  have  to  fit  that 
which  you  have  in  your  possession. 

Do  you  have  a  death  notice  for  Renier 
Stefanua  Meyer  No.  8  on  pedigree  chart 
"A"?  If  you  don't  have  a  death  notice 
for  him  I  would  suggest  that  you  start  from 
there  again  and  try  and  find  his  wife  and 
get  the  line  going  properly  again. 

According  to  the  information  that  you 
have  given  me  in  this  above  mentioned 
letter  you  stated  that  Johanna  Magdalena 
Meyer  married  a  Johannes  Matthys  Heunis 
and  in  that  case  the  line  that  we  have  been 
working  on  is  definitely  wrong. 

May  the  Lord  bless  you  in  this  wonder- 
ful work  with  all  of  the  things  that  are  for 
your  betterment  and  would  you  please  send 
me  the  information  that  you  have  so  that 
I  will  be  able  to  continue  on  with  your 
genealogy. 

T^hrough  a  family  record  I  later  ob- 
•*-  tained,  I  found  that  the  two 
Johanna  Magdalena  Meyers  men- 
tioned were  first  cousins,  but  I  cer- 
tainly would  have  had  an  incorrect 
genealogy  if  the  experience  had  not 
come  to  me  and  if  I  had  not  been  so 
persistent  that  I  was  given  a  wrong 
line  to  work  on. 

My  second  experience  teaches  me 
that  genealogy  is  a  game  of,  "If  at 
first  you  don't  succeed,  try,  try 
again." 

I  once  again  arrived  at  a  name  that 
I  had  to  trace  farther.  It  was  my 
great-grandmother,  also  on  my  fa- 
ther's side,  by  the  name  of  Anna 
Susanna  Jacobse,  who  I  knew  had 
died  in  the  Transvaal  Province,  South 
Africa.  I  was  450  miles  away  from 
that  province,  so  I  wrote  a  letter  to 
the  master  of  the  Supreme  Court 
who  kept  all  death  notices  of  people 
leaving  any  possessions  whatsoever  at 
the  time  of  death.  He  wrote  back 
and  said  they  had  no  record  of  that 
name,  and  that  she  had  evidently 
left  no  estate.  At  the  time  I  could 
do  nothing,  so  waited  until  I  went 
back  to  the  Transvaal  in  1951,  about 
thirteen  months  after  I  wrote  the  let- 
ter. I  was  still  forty  five  miles  away 
from  the  city  where  the  records  were 
kept,  so  I  made  a  phone  call.  They 
told  me,  after  looking  in  their  files, 
that  they  had  no  record,  so  I  had  to 
leave  it  at  that  again. 

About  six  months  later  I  had  the 

opportunity  to  go  to  the  city  where 

the  records  were,  and  while  there,  I 

{Concluded  on  page  662) 

635 


MIA  READING  COURSE:  JESUS  THE  CHRIST-HI 


Jesus  Christ— 

the  God  of  the  Old  Testament 


by  Doyle  L.  Green 

MANAGING  EDITOR 


One  of  the  modern  attractions 
from  which  none  of  us  seem  to  be 
able  to  escape,  and  which  con- 
sumes much  of  the  time  and  attention 
of  young  people,  is  science -fiction. 
Books,  including  so-called  comic 
books,  radio,  television,  and  motion 
pictures,  all  join  constantly  to  pelt 
us  with  the  most  mysterious  and 
fantastic  ideas  of  creatures  and  inven- 
tions and  situations. 

There  is  a  so-called  mystery,  a  re- 
ligious one,  which  seems  to  fall  into 
this  same  category,  even  though  it  is 
not  a  product  of  modern  science-fic- 
tion. Invented  by  man  ages  ago  it 
has  been  taught  as  truth  to  millions 
of  honest  Christian  people. 

This  mystery  has  to  do  with  God, 
the  kind  of  Being  he  is,  and  the  re- 
lationship of  God,  the  Father,  to  the 
Son,  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  both  of 
them  to  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  simple 
truths  of  the  scriptures  have  been  so 
garbled  by  the  teachings  of  men  that 
some  unbelievably  fantastic  notions 
have  arisen,  notions  which  would 
cause  the  most  infamous  of  our  pres- 
ent-day science-fiction  writers  to  hang 
their  heads  in  shame  because  in  their 
wildest  moments  of  absurdity  they 
have  never  been  able  to  concoct  such 
utterly  weird  ideas. 

Can  you  imagine  a  science-fiction 
story  in  which  the  main  character, 
the  God  and  Supreme  Ruler  of  the 
entire  universe,  is  three  beings,  yet 
he  isn't  three  at  all  but  rather  just 
one?  And  can  you  further  imagine 
this  Being  as  having  no  body,  no  eyes, 
no  ears,  no  mouth,  no  hands,  no 
brain,  no  heart,  no  feelings?  And  yet 
this  great  intelligent  nothingness,  who 
is  so  large  he  can  fill  the  entire  uni- 
verse yet  so  small  he  can  dwell  in  a 
child's  heart,  rules  over  us  from  the 
top  of  a  throne  which  has  no  top! 


636 


Such  a  Being  is  impossible  to 
comprehend,  but  this  is  typical  of  the 
smoggy  ideas  of  the  Godhead  which 
have  beclouded  the  thinking  of  the 
Christian  world  for  generations. 

How  humbly  thankful  we  should 
be  that  to  Latter-day  Saints,  both 
young  and  old  alike,  and  to  all  who 
will  study  honestly  the  standard 
works  of  the  Church  and  the  teach- 
ings of  our  leaders,  is  given  the  glori- 
ous privilege  of  knowing  the  precious 
truths  about  these  important  matters. 
There  is  no  mystery  here!  God  can 
be  understood.  And  understanding 
is  necessary  if  we  are  to  understand 
the  plan  of  salvation.  This  knowledge 
is  also  essential  to  the  understanding 
of  the  story  of  Jesus,  to  which  pur- 
pose these  articles  are  dedicated. 

The  basic  pattern  of  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Godhead  can  be  traced 
down  through  the  organization  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  on  earth. 
Our  auxiliary  organizations,  of  which 
the  Mutuals  are  examples,  are  headed 
by  a  presidency  or  a  superintendency 
of  three  individuals.  This  is  true  on 
the  ward,  stake,  and  general  Church 
levels.  Further,  a  bishop  and  two 
counselors  are  in  charge  of  a  ward;  a 
president  and  two  counselors  are  in 
charge  of  the  work  in  a  stake,  and 
there  is  a  similar  organization  in  the 
missions. 

The  council  of  three  which  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  Church  in  all  of 
the  world  we  call  the  First  Presidency. 
It  consists  of  President  David  O.  Mc- 
Kay, President  Stephen  L  Richards, 
and  President  J.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr. 
This  council  of  three  Presidents  can 
be  compared  to  the  council  of  the 
three  Gods  who  rule  over  all  crea- 
tions. This  council,  which  is  called 
the  Godhead,  is  made  up  of  God  the 
Father,  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


— Photo  by  Wilde  Company 

"Moses  and  the  Law"  by  Philippe  de  Champaigne — 1602-1674.    It  was  Jesus  who  gave 
the  Ten  Commandments  to  Moses  on  Mt.  Sinai. 


Holy  Ghost.  They  are  separate  and 
distinct  beings,  just  as  the  three  mem- 
bers of  our  First  Presidency  are  sep- 
arate individuals.  Man  was  made  in 
their  likeness.  They  work  as  one  to 
"bring  to  pass  the  immortality  and 
eternal  life  of  man,"  just  as  the  First 
Presidency  on  earth  work  for  pre- 
cisely the  same  purpose. 

Just  as  the  counselors  in  the  First 
Presidency  are  assigned  certain  re- 
sponsibilities under  President  McKay's 
direction  in  connection  with  running 
the  Church  upon  the  earth,  even  so  do 
the  "counselors"  in  the  Godhead  have 
specific  responsibilities  in  connection 
with  the  earth,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Father. 

The  Holy  Ghost,  whom  it  is  not  our 
purpose  to  discuss  at  length  here,  is 
a  witness  of  the  Father  and  the  Son,  a 
messenger,  and  a  comforter.  The  gift 
SEPTEMBER  1956 


of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  given  each  of  us 
after  we  are  baptized. 

The  Son,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
was  assigned  to  be  the  Creator  and 
Savior  of  the  earth  and  to  direct  all 
the  work  of  God  here.  He  is  re- 
sponsible to  the  Father  for  seeing  that 
the  great  plan  of  salvation  is  carried 
out. 

The  Savior  is  known  by  many 
names  and  titles.  Jesus  is  his  indi- 
vidual name.  Christ  is  a  sacred  title 
and  comes  from  the  Greek,  its  He- 
brew equivalent  being  Messiah  which 
means  "the  anointed  one."  Some  of 
the  many  other  names  and  titles  by 
which  he  is  known  in  the  scriptures 
are:  God,  Lord,  Lord  God,  Son  of 
God,  Son  of  man,  Emmanuel,  the 
Redeemer,  the  Only  Begotten,  Only 
Begotten  Son,  I  Am,  Jehovah,  and 
even  the  Father. 

(Continued  on  following  page) 


637 


Jesus  Christ— the  God  of  the  Old  Testament 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

These  numerous  names  and  titles 
are  confusing  to  the  young  student 
of  the  scriptures  and  may  be  one  of  the 
reasons  why  such  fantastic  ideas  have 
grown  up  concerning  the  Godhead. 
From  the  wording  alone  of  many  pas- 
sages of  scripture,  it  is  often  impos- 
sible to  tell  whether  it  is  God  the 
Father  or  God  the  Son  to  whom  refer- 
ence is  being  made. 

In  view  of  these  facts  we  can  see 
how  desirable  it  is  that  we  understand 
the  plan  and  the  workings  of  God  and 
know  that  the  ways  of  God  are  the 
ways  of  order  and  not  confusion. 

Because  Jesus  Christ  has  the  re- 
sponsibility of  this  earth,  generally 
speaking  whenever  contact  is  made 
between  heaven  and  the  earth,  it  is 
done  through  Jesus  or  a  messenger 
sent  by  him.  President  Joseph  Field- 
ing Smith  has  said,  "All  revelation 
comes  through  Jesus  Christ."1  There 
have  been  occasions  when  the  Father 
has  spoken  to  the  Earth,  but  when 
he  has  done  so  it  seemingly  has  been 
for  the  purpose  of  introducing  or 
bearing  record  of  the  Son. 

President  George  Q.  Cannon  made 
the  following  statement,  which  was 
repeated  by  President  Joseph  Fielding 
Smith  in  the  general  conference  ser- 
mon referred  to  above:  "There  is  in 
modern  Christendom  a  strong  ten- 
dency to  ascribe  to  the  Father,  visits 
and  communications  with  mankind 
that  were  really  made  by  the  Lord 
Jesus.  There  is  even  a  respectable 
percentage  of  the  members  of  his 
Church,  established  in  these  days, 
who  have  the  idea  that  it  was  the 
Father  and  not  the  Son  who  appeared 
to  the  patriarchs  and  prophets  of 
old.  .  .  ."2 

These  glorious  truths  were  demon- 
strated at  the  time  the  Prophet  Joseph 
Smith  received  his  first  vision.  When 
the  two  heavenly  Personages,  God  the 
Father  and  the  Son,  appeared  to  him 
in  answer  to  his  fervent  prayer,  the 
proper  order  of  authority  was  ob- 
served. In  his  own  story,  telling  of 
the  vision,  the  Prophet  writes:  "One 
of  them  spake  unto  me,  calling  me  by 
name,  and  said,  pointing  to  the  other, 
This  is  My  Beloved  Son,  Hear  Him!"3 
The  conversation  which  then  took 
place  was  between  Joseph  and  the 
Son.  Although  the  Prophet  reported 
talking  with  and  seeing  other  heaven- 


ly messengers  later  in  his  life,  as  far 
as  we  know  this  is  the  only  time  he 
ever  saw  the  Father,  and  the  only  time 
the  Father  ever  spoke  to  him. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  on  two 
other  occasions  when  the  Father  spoke 
to  earth  he  used  almost  the  same 
words  that  he  did  when  he  spoke  to 
the  boy  Joseph  Smith.  When  the 
Savior  was  baptized  by  John  in  the 
River  Jordan,  the  voice  of  the  Father 
was  heard,  saying,  "This  is  my  be- 
loved Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased."4  When  the  Savior  appeared 
to  the  Nephites  on  the  American 
continent  following  his  resurrection, 
the  Father  again  introduced  him, 
saying,  "Behold  my  Beloved  Son,  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased,  in  whom  I 
have  glorified  my  name — hear  ye 
him."5 

Some  have  thought  that  it  is  in- 
consistent for  the  Savior  to  be  called 
the  Father.  Actually  though,  Jesus 
is  the  Father  of  the  earth,  inasmuch 
as  he  created  it.  The  term  father 
also  fits  him  as  shown  by  the  follow- 
ing selected  dictionary  definitions  of 
the  word:  "one  who  cares  for  as  a 
father  might;  an  originator;  the  lead- 
ing men  of  a  country,  a  city,  or  a 
council;  to  be  a  founder  or  author  of; 
to  accept  or  claim  responsibility  for." 

Co  it  has  been  the  Son  down  through 
^  the  ages  who  has  watched  over 
the  earth  for  the  Father.  Fie  spoke 
to  the  prophets  in  all  dispensations, 
instructing  them  to  preach  the  gospel 
and  to  call  the  people  to  repentance 
in  order  to  give  them  every  opportu- 
nity to  live  in  righteousness.  It  was  he 
who  spoke  to  Adam  after  he  had  been 
cast  out  of  the  garden.  It  was  he  who 
asked  of  Cain:  "Where  is  Abel  thy 
brother?"'1 

Later,  when  the  people  of  the  earth 
became  corrupt,  Jesus  called  Enoch 
to  preach  to  them  and  afterwards 
took  his  righteous  city  into  heaven 
so  that  its  people  would  not  be  de- 
stroyed. Then  he  raised  up  another 
great  prophet,  Noah,  who  preached 
to  the  people  for  many  years,  and 
through  whom  life  upon  the  earth 
was  preserved  when  men  became  so 
wicked  that  they  had  to  be  destroyed. 

Still  watching  over  his  people, 
Jesus  "came  down  to  see  the  city  and 
the  tower"7  which  they  were  build- 
ing   (Babel)    and    confounded    their 


The     Improvement 


nGeneral     Conference     Section,     The     Improvement 
Era,    December    1953,    p.   931. 

-General      Conference      Section, 
Era,   December   1953,    p.   931. 

3Pearl  of  Great  Price,  Joseph  Smith,   2:17. 

638 


Matthew   3:17. 
E3  Nephi    11:7. 
"Genesis    11:5. 
^Genesis   4:9. 


language  and  scattered  them  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

In  another  generation,  Jesus  called 
Abraham  to  go  from  his  native  city 
of  Ur  into  the  land  of  Canaan.  Speak- 
ing unto  him  the  Savior  made  a  great 
promise,  as  Abraham  was  one  of  "the 
great  and  noble  ones"  who  had  been 
chosen  before  the  foundations  of  the 
world  were  laid.  To  him  Jesus  said: 
"Abram,  Get  thee  out  of  thy  coun- 
try, and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from 
thy  father's  house,  unto  a  land  that 
I  will  shew  thee: 

"And  I  will  make  of  thee  a  great 
nation,  and  I  will  bless  thee,  and 
make  thy  name  great;  and  thou  shalt 
be  a  blessing: 

"And  I  will  bless  them  that  bless 
thee,  and  curse  him  that  curseth 
thee:  and  in  thee  shall  all  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed."8 

When  Abraham  was  old,  he  and 
his  wife  Sarah  were  given  a  son 
whom  they  were  instructed  to  call 
Isaac.  Jesus  said  to  them,  ..."  I 
will  establish  my  covenant  with  him 
for  an  everlasting  covenant,  and  with 
his  seed  after  him.""  As  he  had 
been  with  Abraham,  so  Jesus  was  with 
Isaac  all  his  life,  and  with  Jacob  his 
son,  who  became  Israel,  the  father  of 
the  Twelve  Tribes. 

The  Lord,  Jesus,  permitted  Joseph, 
one  of  Jacob's  sons,  to  be  sold  into 
Egypt  so  that  he  could  become  a 
ruler  of  the  land  and  prepare  for  the 
coming  famine.  In  this  way  the 
Israelites  were  saved  from  starvation 
and  brought  into  the  land  of  Egypt. 
When  Israel  hesitated  leaving  Ca- 
naan, Jesus  spoke  to  him  "in  the  vi- 
sions of  the  night"  and  said,  "I  am 
God,  the  God  of  thy  father:  fear  not 
to  go  down  into  Egypt;  for  I  will  there 
make  of  thee  a  great  nation: 

"I  will  go  down  with  thee  .  .  .  and 
I  will  also  surely  bring  thee  up 
again:  .  .  ."10 

Four  hundred  and  thirty  years 
passed,  and  another  great  prophet, 
Moses,  was  raised  up  to  lead  the 
children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  where 
they  were  then  in  bondage  to  the 
Egyptians,  back  to  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan. The  Lord  spoke  to  him  first  from 
a  burning  bush  and  later  gave  him 
power  to  perform  miracles,  helped 
him  deliver  the  Israelites  from  the 
hands  of  the  Egyptians,  guiding  them 

(Concluded  on  page  654) 


^Genesis    12:1-3. 
"Genesis    17:19. 
"Genesis  46:2-4. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


On  the  Bookrack 


THE  CUP  OF  FURY 

(Upton   Sinclair.   Channel    Press,   Inc., 

New  York.  1956.  190  pages.  $3.00.) 

In  this  age  when  drinking  seems  to 
have  captured  the  mind  and  heart 
of  man,  this  book  is  a  sober  and  thought- 
ful indictment  of  any  kind  of  drinking: 
from  the  social  cocktail  to  the  secret 
drinker.  The  author,  long  known  for 
his  crusading  against  some  of  the  evils 
of  mankind,  has  loosed  a  bitter  but 
convincing  invective  against  this  evil. 
The  book  becomes  an  interesting  docu- 
ment, alive  as  it  is  with  the  names  of 
brilliant  men  and  women  whose  bril- 
liance was  dimmed  or  even  damped  out 
by  their  succumbing  to  this  terrible 
habit. 

Throughout  the  book  there  are  exam- 
ples which  would  serve  to  warn  every- 
one from  even  one  sip  of  this  deadly 
vintage.  As  the  author  states,  "Alcohol- 
ism is  a  disease,  of  course,  but  it  scarcely 
seems  to  me  that  this  excuses  or  clears 
the  distillers  of  responsibility.  Cancer 
does  not  advertise  itself  as  a  symbol  of 
'thoughtful  hospitality';  heart  disease 
does  not  spend  a  quarter  of  a  billion 
dollars  annually  to  announce  that  it  is 
an  'aid  to  gracious  living'!  Neither  polio 
nor  tuberculosis  describe  themselves  in 
handsome  posters  and  colorful  magazine- 
spreads  as  a  means  to  healthful  relaxa- 
tion and  enjoyment.  .  .  .  Other  diseases 
are  not  sold,  advertised,  pressured,  pro- 
moted, bobbied  and  press-agented  in  this 
way.  Other  diseases  are  fought  with 
drastic  surgery  or  skilled  preventive 
medicine." 

Latter-day  Saints  who  know  the  com- 
mandment that  liquor  is  not  good  for 
man  will  find  additional  ammunition 
for  their  guns  in  this  deeply  stirring 
book.— M.  C.  /. 

GENEALOGICAL  RESEARCH  IN 
ENGLAND  AND  WALES 
(David  E.    Gardner   and   Frank   Smith. 
Bookcraft,    Salt    Lake    City.    1956.    291 
pages.  $3.00.) 

Interestingly  illustrated,  this  work  by 
trained  researchers  will  prove  of 
great  interest  to  genealogists  who  have 
ancestors  who  stemmed  from  England 
and  Wales.  The  authors  have  indicated 
the  background  and  some  of  the  history 
of  these  countries  and  then  have  pro- 
ceeded to  indicate  the  various  means 
through  which  material  may  be  gleaned, 
verified,  and  used  to  advantage  in  tem- 
ple work.  That  the  authors  have  been 
painstaking  in  their  studies  is  indicated 
in  the  sources  they  have  listed:  tradi- 
tions, correspondence  and  advertising  in 
newspapers,  cemeteries,  churchyards,  civil 
.registration  of  births,  marriages,  and 
deaths,  census  records,  street  and  lo- 
cality addresses  in  the  1851  census 
returns,  parish  registers,  etc.,  etc. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


The  book  is  interesting  and  also 
stimulating,  and  is  but  a  taste  of  other 
projected  books  which  will  deal  with 
other  unusual  and  impressive  means  of 
tracing  ancestry  in  the  tight  little  isle 
of  England.— M.  C.  /. 

STORIES  FROM  SHAKESPEARE 
(Retold   by   Marchette   Chute.     World 
Publishing  Company,  New  York.    1956. 
$3.75.) 

For  people  twelve  years  old  and  up 
this  book  will  prove  an  interesting 
introduction  to  Shakespeare.  The  author 
has  made  an  intensive  study  of  this 
playwright  and  recognizes  some  of  the 
difficulties  a  beginner  has  in  reading 
Shakespeare  for  the  first  time.  She  re- 
tells the  thirty-six  plays  found  in  the 
First  Folio,  including  the  comedies,  his- 
tories, and  tragedies. 

The  author's  two  previous  books  on 
Shakespeare  have  won  her  acclaim: 
Shakespeare  of  London  and  Introduction 
to  Shakespeare.  She  has  also  won  recog- 
nition for  other  studies:  Ben  Jonson  of 
Westminster  and  Geoffrey  Chaucer  of 
England. 

The  book  will  prove  second  best  only 
to  reading  Shakespeare. — M.  C.  ]. 

COINS  OF  BIBLE  DAYS 

(Florence  Aiken  Banks.  Macmillan,  New 
York.  1955.  178  pages.  $4.50.) 

A  delightful  volume,  this  book  should 
prove  most  helpful  because  the  au- 
thor states:  "The  handling  of  ancient 
coins  does  with  time  what  radio,  tele- 
vision, and  airplanes  do  with  space. 
Carry  a  few  tetradrachms  and  farthings 
in  your  pocket,  and  somehow  you  will 
find  the  world  of  two  thousand  or  more 
years  ago  moving  up  to  yesterday." 

Interest  in  the  book  is  enhanced  by  the 
190  actual-size  photographs  of  coins  of 
Biblical  times.  The  author  uses  as  the 
basis  of  her  introduction  to  the  coins 
the  King  James  Version.  She  of  neces- 
sity introduces  the  history  of  the  coun- 
tries whose  activities  influenced  or 
changed  Israel's  course.  The  author  has 
traveled  widely  and  has  long  been  a 
student  of  ancient  coins.  She  has,  in 
addition,  been  a  teacher  in  both  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon.  Now  retired,  she  is 
devoting  her  time  to  writing. — M.  C.  /. 

BABIES  AROUND  THE  WORLD 
CHILDREN  AND  THEIR  HOMES 
AROUND  THE  WORLD 
(Pictures  by  Janet  Smalley  and  Stories 
by  Nina  Millen.  Friendship  Press,  New 
York.  $1.25.) 

Planned  for  special  use  by  kinder- 
garten children,  the  illustrations  in 
these  books  can  be  cut  apart  to  make 
separate  pictures  to  heighten  interest. 
The  author  and  artist  have  included  in 
these  books  babies  and  children  from 
Mexico,  India,   Alaska,    China,    Africa, 


Peru,  Japan,  the  United  States,  as  well 
as  a  Navajo  Indian  baby.  In  the  second 
book  the  author  and  artist  include  in 
addition  to  the  above  list,  children  from 
the  Philippines,  Norway,  and  a  Hopi 
Indian  family.  The  books  are  interest- 
ingly developed  and  should  assist  in 
creating  genuine  interest  in  other  peo- 
ples. 

Added  to  the  unusual  interest  of  the 
books  are  the  directions  for  their  ad- 
vantageous use  by  both  parents  and 
teachers. — M.  C.  J. 

BALBOA 

(Ronald    Symc.    William    Morrow    & 

Company,  New  York.  94  pages.  $2.50.) 

The  biographies  of  great  men  are  al- 
ways more  interesting  than  fiction, 
and  in  this  fictional  treatment  of  the 
facts  of  the  life  of  Vasco  Nunez  de  Bal- 
boa, discoverer  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  in 
1513,  the  author  has  a  natural  for  a  story 
of  intrigue,  adventure,  and  courage  that 
will  make  modern  young  folk  from  8 
to  12  thrill  to  history.— M.  C.  /. 

IDAHO  IN  THE  PACIFIC 

NORTHWEST 

(Floyd  R.  Barber  and  Dan  W.  Martin. 

Caxton  Printers,  Ltd.,  Caldwell,  Idaho. 

433  pages.  $5.00.) 

Latter-day  Saints  have  always  had  a 
keen  interest  in  the  great  state  of 
Idaho,  particularly  since  many  of  the 
first  settlers  in  the  state  were  sent  from 
Utah  to  build  homes,  develop  the  land, 
and  become  stalwart  citizens  of  the 
state  to  the  north.  In  fact,  as  the  au- 
thors state,  "Latter-day  Saint  pioneers 
established  the  first  permanent  settle- 
ment in  Idaho  in  1860."  Beautifully  il- 
lustrated, the  book  is  a  museum  piece, 
worthy  of  preservation  for  the  attractive- 
ness of  its  format  and  the  wealth  of  in- 
formation it  contains.  Both  publisher 
and  authors  are  to  be  complimented  on 
the  volume. 

There  is  one  semi-error  that  should 
be  corrected  in  subsequent  editions,  since 
there  are  certain  to  be  many  of  this 
excellent  book.  On  page  38  this  state- 
ment appears.  . . .  "they  (the  Mormons) 
organized  the  'State  of  Deseret,'  now 
Utah."  The  state  of  Deseret  included 
much  more  territory  than  the  present 
confines  of  Utah. 

The  book  well  deserves  reading  and 
treasuring. — M.  C.  J. 

STRANGE  BABIES 

(Margery    S.    Stewart    and    Eunice    V. 

Buck.   Illustrated.   The  Caxton  Printers, 

Ltd.  Caldwell,  Idaho.   1956.   110  pages. 

$3.00.) 

This  book  of  five  stories  deals  with 
babies:  a  bear,  a  penguin,  a  pika,  a 
"liger,"  and  an  ostrich.  Each  of  the 
stories,  fictionized  to  create  greater  in- 
terest for  children,  helps  orient  children 
into  the  habitat  of  these  animals.  For 
adults  there  is  a  satirical  note  that  re- 
freshes as  they  read  or  tell  these  strange 
baby  stories  to  their  children. — M.  C.  /. 

639 


,::,;. 


tfSlb' 


I 


Servicemen  in  West  Germany 


by  Lynn  Eric  Johnson 

SERVICEMEN'S   CO-ORDINATOR, 
WEST  GERMAN  MISSION 


RECEPTION  LINE  AT  THE  BERCHTESGADEN  CONFERENCE  HELD  APRIL 
1955.  Left  to  right:  Elder  William  V.  Nash,  Mission  servicemen's  co-ordinator  (barely 
visible);  President  Kenneth  B.  Dyer,  West  German  mission  president;  Sister  Bernice  O. 
Dyer;  Elder  Spencer  W.  Kimball,  of  the  Council  of  Twelve,  and  Sister  Kimball,  visitors. 

640 


BERCHTESGADEN  CONFERENCE,  held 
in  October  1954,  where  servicemen's  co-ordi- 
nators,  Retreat  House  Administrator,  and 
President  and  Sister  Kenneth  B.  Dyer  of 
the  West  German  Mission  met  with  serv- 
icemen and  LDS  members. 


How  often  has  each  of  us  dreamed 
of  going  to  Europe  and  viewing 
the  old  world  with  its  quaint  cus- 
toms, castles,  and  traditions,  of  hear- 
ing concerts  and  operas  of  the  great 
music  masters  played  by  their  own 
people,  or  of  viewing  the  magnificent 
Rhine  as  it  flows  through  steep  hills 
covered  with  luxuriant  grapevines,  of 
standing  before  the  matchless  works 
of  Rembrandt,  Titian,  Van  Dyke,  and 
Goya? 

There  are  many  LDS  servicemen's 
groups  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
West  German  Mission.  Also  coming 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  mission 
are  five  groups  in  North  Africa.  These 
groups  are  comprised  of  approximately 
1700  men  and  their  dependents. 
Though  the  number  fluctuates  con- 
stantly, at  the  present  forty-six 
groups  and  two  branches  are  carrying 
on  a  nearly  complete  Church  pro- 
gram with  priesthood  and  Sacrament 
meetings,  Sunday  Schools,  MIA's, 
Primaries,  and  Relief  Societies. 

The  Church  servicemen's  program 
is  two  fold  in  nature:  missions,  stakes, 
and  wards  of  the  men  going  into  the 
service  give  them  consultation,  litera- 
ture, subscriptions  to  Church  publica- 
THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


SERVICEMEN'S  AREAS 
AND  THEIR  GROUPS 
IN  WEST  GERMANY 


tions,  and  regular  correspondence; 
and  the  stakes,  wards,  and  missions 
where  the  men  may  be  stationed  af- 
ford them  a  servicemen's  program  de- 
signed to  meet  their  religious  needs. 
President  Edwin  Q.  Cannon  set  up 
the  present  servicemen's  program  in 
the  West  German  Mission  during 
April  1951.  He  selected  as  his  serv- 
icemen's co-ordinator  Elder  Albert  P. 
Ostraff,  from  Pasadena,  California, 
who  had  been  originally  called  to 
Lebanon,  but  at  the  outbreak  of  vio- 


lence there,  was  transferred  to  the 
West  German  Mission. 

Elder  Ostraff,  devoting  his  entire 
time  to  the  all -important  work  of 
getting  things  organized  and  func- 
tioning, visited  chaplains,  camps, 
bases — any  and  all  places  and  people 
concerned  with  the  spiritual  welfare 
of  the  servicemen. 

Groups  were  formed  wherever  pos- 
sible. Twenty-one  were  functioning 
at  the  time  of  his  release  in  February 
1952. 


Church  members  are  conference- 
minded,  and  a  conference  program 
was  soon  begun.  The  first  mission  - 
wide  conference  was  held  February 
22,  23,  and  24,  1952,  with  President 
Stayner  Richards,  Assistant  to  the 
Council  of  the  Twelve  and  President 
of  the  British  Mission,  the  visiting 
authority.  Special  servicemen  ses- 
sions were  also  held  during  the  regu- 
lar mission  German  conferences. 

The  program  gained  additional 
strength  with  the  arrival  of  Chaplain 
Leon  H.  Flint  in  October  1951,  the 
first  of  several  LDS  chaplains  to  enter 
the  organization. 

Elder  J.  C.  Lillywhite,  from  South- 
gate,  California,  was  selected  to  carry 
on  the  work  of  mission  co-ordinator 
at  the  release  of  Elder  Ostraff.  Groups 
were  visited  regularly,  new  ones 
formed,  and  a  closer  correlation  with 
army  chaplains  in  finding  new  LDS 
men  and  implementing  the  program 
was  established.  More  servicemen's 
families  from  the  United  States  began 
to  arrive,  and  the  program  was 
broadened  to  meet  the  increased 
needs. 

The  conference  program  was  con- 
tinued and  particularly  highlighted 
during  President  David  O.  McKay's 
visit  in  1952.  At  that  conference  an- 
other LDS  chaplain,  Marvin  Green, 
was  welcomed   into  the  program. 

(Continued  on  following  page) 


STUTTGART  CONFERENCE  DIREC- 
TORS. Left  to  right:  Elder  William  V. 
Nash,  mission  servicemen's  co-ordinator; 
Sister  Bernice  O.  Dyer,  Relief  Society 
president;  President  Kenneth  B.  Dyer,  West 
German  mission  president;  Chaplain  Mar- 
vin Green,  LDS  chaplain  assisting  confer- 
ence proceedings. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


HEIDELBERG  CHAPEL  AND  SERVICEMEN'S  CENTER.  The  $65,000  edifice 
is  being  financed  from  contributions  both  from  German  members  of  the  Church  and 
US  servicemen  stationed  in  the  area.  Those  looking  over  the  structure  are,  left  to 
right:  Jackson  Poulson,  second  counselor,  Aberdeen,  Idaho;  Paul  Nuttall,  Pacific  Grove, 
California;  Grant  W.  Mason,  first  counselor,  Aurora,  Utah;  W.  LaGrand  Nielsen,  group 
president,  Hyrum,  Utah;  Harold  Herzog,  clerk,  Kemmerer,  Wyoming;  Max  Eldredge, 
Provo,  Utah;  David  P.  Forsyth,  Spring  Canyon,  Utah. 

641 


Servicemen  in  West  Germany 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

When  Elder  Lillywhite  was  re- 
leased in  September  1953,  Elder  Wil- 
liam V.  Nash,  from  Ogden,  Utah, 
was  called  to  fill  the  position  of  co- 
ordinator. The  program  now  was  be- 
ginning to  come  into  its  own,  and 
under  the  able  supervision  of  Elder 
Nash,  several  notable  advancements 
were  brought  into  being. 

Since  there  is  strength  in  numbers, 
the  conference  program  was  encour- 
aged. Elder  Henry  D.  Moyle  of  the 
Council  of  Twelve  presided  over  a 
mission-wide  conference  of  service- 
men held  in  Frankfurt  am  Main  in 
March  1954.  During  the  same  year, 
the  army  began  a  program  whereby 
men  of  all  faiths  could  attend  three 
days  of  religious  instruction  among 
Berchtesgaden's  beautiful  Alpine  sur- 
roundings in  southern  Germany. 
Ironically,  this  area  used  to  be  the 
summer  playground  of  Adolf  Hitler 
and  his  staff.  Two  conferences  for 
LDS  servicemen  were  held  there  dur- 
ing August  and  October  1954.  Since 
then  two  annual  conferences  have 
been  held,  one  presided  over  by  Elder 
Spencer  W.  Kimball,  the  other  by 
Elder  Adam  S.  Bennion. 

These  served  as  forerunners  for  the 
April  1955  conference  arranged  by 
Elder  Nash  and  Charles  Bartanen, 
the  Swiss-Austrian  Mission  co-ordi- 
nator.  Eight  hundred  participants 
from  England,  France,  Africa,  Turkey, 
Egypt,  East  and  West  Germany  were 
in  attendance  to  hear  the  inspiring 
messages  of  Elder  Spencer  W.  Kimball 
and  mission  leaders. 

The  attendance  at  these  conferences 
broke  all  previous  attendance  records 
and  delighted  the  chief  chaplain, 
European  Command,  stationed  in 
Heidelberg.  While  being  visited  by 
Elder  Nash,  Chaplain  Edwin  Kirt- 
ley  showed  him  the  attendance  chart 
of  those  attending  Berchtesgaden,  and 
remarked:  "After  the  Mormon  con- 
ference down  there,  our  chart  looks 
like  a  cut-a-way  section  of  the  United 
States  with  your  conferences  making 
up  the  Great  Divide  and  all  the  other 
faiths  the  Great  Plains.  We  are  very 
pleased  with  the  support  you  give  to 
our  religious  program." 

Additional  organization  was  intro- 
duced as  the  number  of  groups  in- 
creased. The  groups  were  divided 
into  five  areas,  and  area  co-ordi- 
nators  were  called  to  supervise  them, 
assisted  by  counselors,  and  area  secre- 
taries. Complementing  this,  a  serv- 
642 


icemen's  committee  composed  of  the 
LDS  chaplains,  servicemen's  co-ordi- 
nator,  and  mission  president  was 
formed  to  function  much  as  a  stake 
high  council.  Within  each  area, 
quarterly  conferences  were  begun,  and 
today  many  would  rival  stake  con- 
ferences in  appearance  and  spiritual- 
ity. 

Those  first  accepting  calls  to  the 
position  of  area  co-ordinator  were: 
William  Conant,  Kaiserslautern  area; 
David  Miller,  Stuttgart  area;  Allyn 
Mahoney,  Nurnberg  area;  Chaplain 
Lawrence  Rast,  Munich  area;  and 
Chaplain  Russel  C.  Robertson,  Frank- 
furt area.  Since  that  time,  Brothers 
Conant,  Miller,  and  Mahoney  have 
returned  to  the  "Land  of  the  PX," 
as  servicemen  refer  to  the  United 
States,  and  have  been  replaced  by 
Chaplain  Timothy  H.  Irons,  Arthur 
R.  Keeley,  and  William  R.  McConkie, 
respectively.  In  January  1956,  the 
increasing  number  of  groups  within 
the  Frankfurt  area  necessitated  a  divi- 
sion. Consequently,  the  Rhine  Valley 
area  was  with  the  lower  part  of  the 
Frankfurt  area  and  is  now  presided 
over  by  Chaplain  Robertson.  At  that 
time,  Chaplain  Rast  was  transferred 
from  Munich  by  his  duty  and  was 
called  to  preside  over  the  Frankfurt 
area.  Denzil  Stewart  was  then  called 
to  supervise  the  Munich  area. 

Under  the  guidance  of  these  men, 
each  area  has  grown  and  flourished. 
The  increased  supervision  and  help 
given  to  the  groups  by  this  organiza- 
tion resulted  in  the  betterment  of  all 
phases  of  group  activities.  Standard 
courses  of  instruction  were  begun,  and 
it  was  discovered  that  a  group  having 
only  one  or  two  children  could  have 
a  Primary,  and  with  one  or  two 
women  a  Relief  Society  could  be  con- 
ducted in  which  non-members  were 
invited  to  participate. 

Today,  the  program  has  six  Pri- 
maries and  twenty-one  Relief  So- 
cieties. Most  servicemen's  families 
are  young,  and  the  children  are  not 
old  enough  for  Primary  except  in  the 
larger  groups.  However,  nearly  all 
the  Relief  Societies  are  fully  organ- 
ized and  well  attended,  some  with 
twenty -five  women.  Their  effective- 
ness was  well  stated  by  Sister  Barbara 
Pancheri  who  came  to  join  her  hus- 
band stationed  in  Munich.  The  day 
after  she  arrived,  she  attended  Re- 
lief Society.  After  the  meeting,  her 
relieved  comment  was:  "Why,  I  came 
here  expecting  to  be  a  total  stranger, 


and  here  it  is  just  like  home.  They 
even  asked  me  to  lead  the  Singing 
Mothers  in  the  next  conference!" 

MIA's  soon  made  their  appearance, 
and  standard  achievement  awards 
could  still  be  gained  as  evidenced  by 
Richard  and  Patricia  Michaud  who 
received  their  Master  M  Man  and 
Golden  Gleaner  awards  respectively 
in  the  Kaiserslautern  group.  Gold 
and  green  balls,  firesides,  basketball, 
and  socials  are  sponsored  with  fine 
success.  During  the  winter  cycle  of 
conferences,  roadshows  of  high  qual- 
ity were  given.  The  best  one  from 
each  area  was  selected  to  be  given 
at  the  Berchtesgaden  conference  dur- 
ing April. 

More  complete  and  accurate  forms 
for  reporting  meetings,  attendance, 
and  ordinances  have  been  created. 
By  so  doing,  normal  Church  func- 
tions are  carried  forth,  including 
priesthood  advancements,  blessings  of 
babies,  baptisms,  and  marriages,  and 
an  accurate  monthly  report  is  sent 
to  the  general  servicemen's  committee. 

During  this  period  of  development, 
a  unique  branch  was  formed  in  Wies- 
baden, consisting  of  German  and 
American  members.  A  new  person 
coming  into  the  branch  would  be 
amazed  to  find  the  singing  done  in 
both  languages,  and  announcements 
and  talks  during  Sunday  School  given 
alternately.  Since  then,  other  groups 
have  been  meeting  jointly  with  Ger- 
man branches  in  Heidelberg,  Stutt- 
gart, Munich,  Mannheim,  Heilbronn, 
and  Friedberg. 

Recognizing  the  needs  of  the 
Church  here  in  Germany,  many  serv- 
icemen requested  that  they  be  given 
a  project  to  accomplish  in  order  to 
leave  something  of  worth  when  they 
returned  home.  Thus,  a  fund  for  the 
support  of  local  full-time  missionaries 
was  begun,  and  through  this,  several 
fine  young  German  brethren  and  sis- 
ters, who  do  not  have  the  financial 
support  for  themselves,  have  been 
able  to  join  the  missionary  ranks. 

Groups  meeting  '  with  German 
Saints  soon  began  collecting  building 
funds  for  chapels.  The  Heidelberg- 
group  under  the  guidance  of  LaGrand 
Nielsen  began  a  drive  for  a  new 
chapel  in  March  1955,  and  presently 
have  it  well  toward  its  dedication 
date.  The  Wiesbaden  Branch  di- 
rected by  Lynn  G.  Sleight,  began  a 
similar  drive,  and  is  presently  looking 
for  a  building  site.  The  Frankfurt 
am  Main  American  branch  priest- 
hood group  began  a  bookstore  project 

(Continued  on  page  670) 
THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


FRANKFURT  AREA'S  LEADERS,  Front 
row,  (left  to  right)  Lawrence  K.  Raty,  La- 
Grande  Nielsen,  Elder  Lynn  Eric  Johnson, 
Bernard  Baker,  Russel  C.  Robertson,  chap- 
Iain,  Frankfurt  Area  co-ordinator;  Arnold 
J.  Dance,  Richard  Devlin. 

Second  row,  (left  to  right)  Jorn  Grawe, 
Paul  Jensen,  Lynn  Davenport,  Lowell  Ralph, 
Boyd  Nielsen,  Loren  Stoddard,  Rex  Ben- 
nion. 


KAISERLAUTERN  AREA'S  LEADERS: 
front  row,  (left  to  right)  Warren  R.  Rupper, 
Russell  O.  Hawks,  Elder  Lynn  Eric  Johnson, 
Kenneth  B.  Dyer,  West  German  mission 
president;  Sister  Bernice  Dyer,  mission  Re- 
lief Society  president;  Chaplain  Timothy  H. 
Irons,  Kaiserslautern  area  co-ordinator; 
Milton  E.   Bond. 

Second  row,  (left  to  right)  Willis  C.  Pul- 
ver,  George  W.  Shell,  Calvin  R.  Marchant, 
Millard  Wilde,  Merlin  Baker,  Leonard  G. 
Scrivens. 

Third  row,  (left  to  right)  John  Burr,  Lee 
Harmon,  Harold  L.  Anderson,  Blair  E.  Nils- 
son,  Allan  B.  Laidlaw,  Robert  Clawson, 
Ronald  G.  Hendry. 


MUNICH  AREA  AND  GROUP  LEAD- 
ERS: front  row,  (left  to  right)  Elder  Lynn 
Eric  Johnson,  Carl  Bair,  Orthel  Dennison, 
Niel  Coleman,  Stanley  Hammond,  Sister 
Bernice  O.  Dyer;  President  Kenneth  B. 
Dyer,  Chaplain  Lawrence  Rast. 

Second  row,  (left  to  right)  Fred  Finlayson, 
Willis  Gurr,  Gary  Cook,  Robert  Pace,  Chap- 
Iain  Theodore  E.  Curtis,  deputy  chaplain, 
Seventh  Army  (LDS). 


NURNBERG  AREA  AND  GROUP 
LEADERS:  front  row,  (left  to  right)  Wil- 
liam R.  McConkie,  Allyn  R.  Mahoney,  Sister 
Bernice  O.  Dyer;  President  Kenneth  B. 
Dyer,  Elder  Lynn  Eric  Johnson,  Richard  S. 
Bowers,  Max  R.  Ranquist. 

Second  row,  (left  to  right)  Clair  T.  Kilts, 
Graham  H.  Misbach,  Kenneth  J.  Biddle, 
LaMonte  Sant,  Don  L.  Giauque,  Kenneth 
Littlefield,  Lynn  J.  Esplin,  Gordon  R.  Ber- 
quist,  Jim  Hamilton. 


f*s       I**1      J?^ 


STUTTGART  AREA  LEADERS.  Front 
row,  (left  to  right)  Craig  Bentley,  Kent 
Smith,  Royal  J.  Swenson,  Howard  Gonzales, 
Arthur  R.  Keeley,  Chaplain  Theodore  Curtis, 
Jr.,  Grant  Haertel. 

Second  row,  (left  to  right)  Donald  Lyman, 
Owen  L.  Cash,  Jerry  D.  Wilde,  Donald 
Middleton,  Kenneth  Jensen,  Max  Dunford, 
Elmo  Carlisle,  John  Riding,  Ray  H.  Garri- 
son, Jerry  Dunn. 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


by  Christie  Lund  Coles 

Della  watched  her  lovely  daugh- 
ter descend  the  stairs.    She  was 
more  beautiful  than  usual  in  the 
deep    velvet  formal    with    the    over- 
skirts  of  paler  blue  tulle. 

"You  look  like  a  heavenly  blue 
fairy,"  she  told  her,  smiling,  "that 
color  really  brings  out  your  eyes." 

"Thank  you,"  Coleen  said,  whirl- 
ing about  as  she  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  steps,  "watch  it  twirl." 

It  was  a  phrase  she  had  used  since 
a  small  child,  and  it  tugged  at  her 
mother's  heart.  The  girl  seemed  to 
use  it  purposefully,  and  her  eyes  were 
gentle  as  they  met  her  mother's  eyes. 

Intuitively  Delia  looked  at  her, 
sensing  something  different — a  ma- 
tureness,  an  almost  old  kindness  to 
the  older  woman. 

Maybe  it  was  just  because  Coleen 
was  so  young  and  so  happy  and 
pitied  anyone  who  had  to  sit  home 
on  the  night  of  the  senior  ball. 

Della  remembered  feeling  that  way 
about  her  parents  twenty  years  ago — 
as  if  the  world  were  over  for  them — 
wondering  how  they  could  endure 
the  monotony,  the  boredom. 

But  now  she  knew  the  compensa- 
tions, the  deep  satisfactions  that  came 
with  settling  down,  raising  a  family; 
the  tiredness  that  was  real  but  good 
at  the  end  of  a  busy  day.  Each  age 
had  its  joys  and  its  wonders.  Romance 
and  dancing  were  for  the  young. 

Even  so,  after  Tom  had  come — in 
his  rented  tux — smiling,  gracious,  with 
eyes  that  lighted  up  for  Coleen  and 
made  her  doubly  beautiful  as  she 
smiled  at  him,  and  the  two  had  left 
for  the  dance,  she  went  out  to  the 
kitchen.  Instead  of  retiring  early  as 
she  had  planned,  she  decided  to  join 

644 


Della  was  unable  to  speak,  she  merely  stared  at  her  daughter,  and  the  girl  went  on 
happily  ...  "I  want  a  big  reception  .  .  ." 


her  husband  who  was  having  his 
usual  snack  of  bread  and  milk. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "this  is  quite  un- 
usual for  you.  Aren't  you  afraid  of 
the  calories?" 

"Tonight,  I'm  a  little  afraid  .  .  . 
but  not  of  calories.  George,  do  you 
suppose  Coleen  and  Tom  are  getting 
serious?" 

"I  thought  they  had  been  that  way 
for  quite  some  time." 

"Oh,  I  mean  serious,  like — well, 
like  thinking  of  getting  married," 

"Not  for  a  few  days,  I  don't  im- 
agine. Don't  go  dreaming  up  trou- 
bles." 

"But,  it's  something  I  feel — the 
way  I  used  to  when  she  was  going  to 
be  ill  or  in  danger.  I  couldn't  con- 
sent  to   it,    George.      She  won't    be 


nineteen  for  three  months.  And  she 
must  have  some  college;  we've 
planned  it  so  long." 

"Sure.     And  she's  just  a  baby." 

"She's  not  a  baby,  George.  You 
can't  seem  to  realize  that  she  is  grown, 
that  it  could  happen.  She's  gone  with 
Tom  over  a  year,  and  of  course  he's 
a  wonderful  boy.  The  fact  that  he 
finishes  college  this  year  makes  it 
even  more  of  a  possibility.  He's  old 
enough." 

"Well,  he  can't  get  married  just 
because  he  finishes  college.  He  has 
to  have  a  job.  You  quit  your  stewing." 

Della  watched  television  for  a 
while  but  was  bored  with  it,  so  she 
went  to  bed  and  tried  to  read.  The 
book  was  uninteresting.  She  turned 
off  the  light  and  wondered  why  her 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


husband  was  staying  up  so  late.  She 
heard  the  clock  strike  twelve,  fluffed 
her  pillow,  and  turned  from  one  side 
to  another. 

It  wasn't  very  long  until  she  heard 
the  sound  of  Tom's  car  in  the  drive- 
way, heard  the  door  open,  and  the 
two  of  them  come  in.  Coleen  said 
excitedly,  "Daddy,  do  you  think 
mother  is  awake?" 

"I  wouldn't  be  surprised,"  he  told 
her,  "you  might  run  up  and  see." 

But  before  she  had  a  chance,  Delia 
called  down,  "I'm  awake,  dear.  What 
is  it?"  But  she  knew  just  as  surely 
as  she  had  known  something  had 
happened  one  day  when  the  girl  was 
practically  a  baby.  She  had  been  put 
down  for  her  nap,  had  somehow 
climbed  from  her  crib,  and  was  just 
ready  to  run  into  the  road  when  her 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


mother's  intuition  led  her  to  look  for 
her. 

But  as  Delia  came  down  in  her 
quilted  robe,  she  asked  again,  "What 
is  it?" 

The  girl  stepped  over  to  Tom,  took 
his  arm,  flushing,  "Tom  has  some- 
thing to  ask  you  and  Daddy." 

Her  husband  came  closer  to  her. 
"Yes  .  .  .  ?"  and  Delia  noticed  that 
his  face  was  suddenly  white,  as  she 
knew  her  own  must  be. 

Tom  was  pale,  too,  as  he  tried  to 
speak,  then  he  hesitated.  Delia  felt 
pity  and  tenderness  go  out  to  him 
in  his  embarrassment,  but  she  waited. 
Finally,  he  said,  "I  suppose  you've 
known  that  I  have  been  in  love  with 
Coleen  for  some  time.  With  your 
permission,  I'd  like  to  give  her  a  dia- 
mond." 


Delia  asked,  softly,  "You  wouldn't 
be  getting  married  right  away?  You 
would  just  be  engaged?"  Somehow, 
it  was  all  she  could  say. 

Tom  nodded.  Delia  looked  at 
George,  and  he  looked  almost  desper- 
ately at  her.  She  spoke  first.  "I 
suppose  if  her  father  thinks  it  is  all 
right  ...  it  is  all  right  with  me.  You 
know  we're  very  fond  of  you,  Tom. 
She  couldn't  find  a  finer  boy."  It  was 
true  .  .  .  true  .  .  .  but.  .  .  . 

George  agreed  saying,  "That's 
right.  We'd  be  glad  to  have  you  for 
a  son-in-law  .  .  .  someday.  Aren't 
you  a  little  young  yet?" 

"I'm  past  twenty-one,  sir.  And  I 
have  bought  the  ring.  You  see,  she 
has  consented." 

"Oh,  honey,"  Delia  cried,  reach- 
ing out  for  her,  "why  didn't  you  tell 
us?" 

"He  wanted  to  ask  you,  to  make 
it  all  strictly  according  to  custom  and 
all  that."  The  girl  went  into  their 
arms,  first  her  mother's,  then  her 
father's.  They  shook  hands,  and  Del- 
la  kissed  Tom.  Then  he  slipped  the 
lovely  solitaire  upon  the  slim,  white 
hand  and  kissed  Coleen. 

The  familiar  room  seemed  a  sea  of 
motion  as  Delia  tried  to  hold  back 
the  tears  that  persisted  and  finally 
rolled  down  her  cheek. 

Coleen,  seeing  them,  cried,  "Now, 
Mother,  none  of  that.  Remember, 
you're  not  losing  a  daughter,  you're 
gaining  a  son!" 

"I  know,  dear.  And  it  isn't  like  you 
were  going  to  be  married  right  away. 
But  a  mother  deserves  the  right  to 
shed  a  few  tears.  Kip  will  be  sur- 
prised." 

Kip,  her  younger  son,  was  spend- 
ing the  night  with  the  neighbor  boy. 
He  and  his  sister  had  been  extremely 
close  despite  their  teasing  and  occa- 
sional arguments.  Of  course  they  still 
had  a  long  time  to  be  together — a 
year  perhaps,  or  even  more.  Hadn't 
Tom  said  it  was  not  to  be  right  away? 

Graduations  were  no  sooner  out 
of  the  way  and  summer  upon  them 
than  Coleen  came  home  one  day  ex- 
cited and  happy.  She  seized  her 
mother  by  the  arms  and  cried,  "Tom 
has  a  job — a  very  good  job  with  a  big 
engineering  firm.  We're  going  to  get 
married  in  September!" 

Delia  was  unable  to  speak.  She 
merely  stared  at  her  daughter,  and 
the  girl  went  on,  happily.  "That  will 
give  us  time  to  get  things  ready.  I 
want  a  big  reception,  and  six  brides- 
maids, and  ...  I  want  a  white  lace 
(Concluded  on  page  658) 

645 


Space  is  thronged  with  wonders 
that  lie  beyond  the  perception  of 
our  physical  senses.  Speaking  of 
the  vastness  and  magnitude  of  his 
creative  powers,  God  said  to  Moses: 

And  worlds  without  number  have  I  cre- 
ated; .  .  .  and  by  the  Son  I  created  them, 
which  is  mine  Only  Begotten. 

.  .  .  and  innumerable  are  they  unto  man; 
but  all  things  are  numbered  unto  me,  for 
they  are  mine  and  I  know  them. 

.  .  .  and  there  is  no  end  to  my  works, 
neither  to  my  words. 

For  behold,  this  is  my  work  and  my  glory 
— to  bring  to  pass  the  immortaliy  and 
eternal  life  of  man.1 

The  heritage  of  man  as  a  child  of 
God  is  to  assist  in  the  work  and  joy 
of  endless  creativity.  Man  can  only 
achieve  his  destiny  if  he  keeps  in 
touch  with  his  Divine  Father.  Then 
and  then  only  does  the  meaning  of 
eternal  life  illuminate  his  mind  and 
spirit. 

"Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire," 
one  of  our  hymns  proclaims.  It  is 
not  a  means  by  which  we  secure  our 
own  private  and  selfish  ends  or  beg 
God  for  wealth,  pleasures,  honors,  or 
preferments.  Rather,  prayer  endows 
us  with  the  power  to  attune  our  lives 
to  the  creative  influences  of  our  Heav- 
enly Father  so  that  he  may  do  his 
will  in  and  through  us. 

Amulek  exhorted  God's  people 
about  the  importance  of  prayer  in 
their  lives: 

Therefore  may  God  grant  unto  you,  my 
brethren,  that  ye  may  .  .  .  call  upon  his 
holy  name, 

.  .  .  Yea  cry  unto  him  for  mercy;  .  .  . 

Yea,  humble  yourselves,  and  continue  in 
prayer  unto  him. 

Cry  unto  him  over  the  crops  of  your 
fields,  .  .  . 

— over  the  flocks  of  your  fields,  .  .  .  But 
this  is  not  all;  ye  must  pour  out  your  souls 
in  your  closets,  and  your  secret  places,  and 
in  your  wilderness. 

...  let  your  hearts  be  full,  drawn  out 
in  prayer  unto  him  continually.  .  .  .2 

The  hearts  of  Latter-day  Saints  are 
"drawn  unto  him  continually"  from 
birth  to  death:  at  the  time  of  the 
baby's  blessings,  at  the  marriage  altar, 
and  at  the  grave.  We  pray  in  thanks- 
giving for  our  daily  bread,  around 
our  firesides  in  the  sacred  circle  of 
the  family,  at  the  bedside  of  the  ill 
and  infirm,  and  with  our  brothers 
and  sisters  of  the  larger  family  in 
ward    and   stake.      With    prayer   we 


Talking  With  Our  Father 
Through  Prayer 


by  Dr.  Royal  L.  Garff 


OF  THE  YMMIA  GENERAL  BOARD 


*Adapted   from   the   new   edition   of  You   Can   Learn 
to   Speak    by   Dr.    Royal    L.    Garff,    Chapter   21. 

Wfoses   1:33,  35,   38-39. 

=AIma    34:17-19,    24-27. 

646 


dedicate  our  sacred  buildings  as  did 
the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith  in  the  Kirt- 
land  Temple. 

Okayer  is  divine  fellowship  with 
■*■  God.  Such  spiritual  companion- 
ship brings  man  a  matchless  blessing, 
the  assurance  that,  "...  I  am  not 
alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me."3 
President  Heber  J.  Grant  once  wrote 
in  The  Improvement  Era:  "The 
minute  a  man  stops  supplicating  God 
for  his  spirit  and  direction,  just  so 
soon  he  starts  out  to  become  a  stranger 
to  him  and  his  works.  When  men 
stop  praying  for  God's  Spirit,  they 
place  confidence  in  their  own  unaided 
reason,  and  they  gradually  lose  the 
spirit  of  God,  just  the  same  as  near 
and  dear  friends,  by  never  writing  to 
or  visiting  with  each  other,  will  be- 
come strangers."1 

Eldred  G.  Smith,  Patriarch  to  the 
Church,  has  counseled  us:  "We  must 
not  be  hampered  by  any  anger  or 
meanness  or  hardness  of  heart,  or 
any  selfish  desires.  We  must  tune 
our  minds  and  our  hearts  to  the 
spirit  of  God  just  as  we  tune  our 
radio  to  receive  the  program  from  the 
broadcasting  station.  We  want  no 
interfering  static  from  outside  influ- 
ences. In  the  attitude  of  true  re- 
pentance we  should  seek  forgiveness 
of  our  past  mistakes  and  guidance 
for  improvement."5 

This  being  true,  all  of  us  should 
think  more  often  and  more  creatively 
about  our  prayers.  If  we  do  we  may 
be  able  to  utter  prayers  that  are  not 
only  deeply  earnest  and  sincere  but 
are  also  understandable  to  those  who 
share  our  communications  with  our 
Father  in  heaven. 

The  habit  of  prayer  expresses  the 
basic  character  of  many  great  men. 
Benjamin    Franklin    recognized    the 

=John    1632. 

■■Grant,  Heber  J.,  "Some  Sentence  Sermons"  (The 
Editor's  Page)  The  Improvement  Era,  August  1944, 
p.   481. 

5Smith,  Eldred  G.,  121st  Semi-annual  Conference 
Report,    September    1950,    p.    57. 


necessity  of  communicating  with  an 
all  wise  Father  in  the  founding  of  our 
nation.  Stonewall  Jackson,  stalwart 
leader  of  the  Old  South,  bore  this 
testimony:  "I  have  so  fitted  the  habit 
in  my  mind  that  I  never  raise  a  glass 
of  water  to  my  lips  without  asking 
God's  blessing;  never  seal  a  letter 
without  a  brief  word  of  prayer  under 
the  seal;  never  take  a  letter  from  the 
post  without  a  brief  sending  of  my 
thoughts  heavenward;  never  change 
my  classes  in  the  lecture  without  a 
minute's  petition  for  the  cadets  who 
go  out  and  those  who  come  in." 

W/e  should  condition  our  minds  and 
'*  hearts  to  the  act  and  spirit  of 
praying.  Lofty  thoughts  of  beauty, 
spiritual  power,  peace,  happiness,  ap- 
preciation, and  thanksgiving  should 
permeate  our  souls;  for  it  is  not  what 
we  possess  that  matters,  but  what 
possesses'  us;  not  what  belongs  to  us, 
but  what  we  belong  to  that  is  most 
important.  We  need  to  belong  to  that 
group  which  remembers  to  be  thank- 
ful. Jesus  taught  us  this  lesson  as  he 
traveled  to  Jerusalem: 

And  as  he  entered  into  a  certain  village, 
there  met  him  ten  men  that  were  lepers, 
which  stood  afar  off: 

And  they  lifted  up  their  voices,  and  said, 
Jesus,  Master,  have  mercy  on  us. 

And  when  he  saw  them,  he  said  unto 
them,  Go  shew  yourselves  unto  the  priests. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  as  they  went, 
they  were  cleansed. 

And  one  of  them,  when  he  saw  that  he 
was  healed,  turned  back,  and  with  a  loud 
voice  glorified  God. 

And  fell  down  on  his  face  at  his  feet, 
giving  him  thanks:  and  he  was  a  Samaritan. 

And  Jesus  answering  said,  Were  there 
not  ten  cleansed?  but  where  are  the   nine? 

There  are  not  found  that  returned  to 
give  glory  to  God,  save  this  stranger. 

And  he  said  unto  him,  Arise,  go  thy  way: 
thy  faith  hath  made  thee  whole.0 

When  praying,  each  of  us  should 
speak  clearly  and  distinctly.  Disraeli 
appropriately  said:   "There  is  no  in- 


"Lukc    17:12-19. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


dex  of  character  as  sure  as  the  voice." 
Let  us  remember  that  voice  tones 
should  ring  out  with  the  conviction 
that  expresses  sincerity.  They  should 
win  and  sustain  favorable  attention. 
The  quality  of  our  voices  should 
create  a  worshipful  mood  and  stimu- 
late feelings  of  reverence,  thanksgiv- 
ing, and  inspiration.  A  mumbling, 
bumbling,  fumbling,  grumbling  prayer 
puts  a  rude  damper  upon  our  wor- 
ship. 

In  addition  to  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
here  are  several  of  the  other  scrip- 
tural supplications  that  open  our 
hearts  to  God: 

And  Solomon  stood  before  the  altar  of 
the  Lord  in  the  presence  of  all  the  congre- 
gation of  Israel,  and  spread  forth  his  hands 
toward   heaven:    [and   prayed:] 

.  .  .  Lord  God  of  Israel,  there  is  no  God 
like  thee,  in  heaven  above,  or  on  earth 
beneath,  who  keepest  covenant  and  mercy 
with  thy  servants  that  walk  before  thee 
with  all  their  heart.7 

Hezekiah,  during  the  time  of  Isaiah, 
was  sick  unto  death  and  was  told  to 
set  his  house  in  order  for  he  was  to 
"die  and  not  live." 


Then  Hezekiah  turned  his  face  toward 
the  wall,  and  prayed  unto  the  Lord, 

And  said,  Remember  now,  O  Lord,  I  be- 
seech thee,  how  I  have  walked  before  thee 


in  truth  and  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  have 
done  that  which  is  good  in  thy  sight.  .  .  .s 

The  Lord  heard  his  prayer  and 
promised  him  fifteen  years  more  of 
life.  Then  Hezekiah  returned  thanks 
in  joyous  prayer: 

O  Lord,  by  these  things  men  live,  and 
in  all  these  things  is  the  life  of  my  spirit: 
so  wilt  thou  recover  me,  and  make  me  to 
live. 

For  the  grave  cannot  praise  thee,  death 
can  not  celebrate  thee:  they  that  go  down 
into  the  pit  cannot  hope  for  thy  truth. 

The  living,  the  living,  he  shall  praise  thee, 
as  I  do  this  day:  the  father  to  the  children 
shall  make  known  thy  truth. 

The  Lord  was  ready  to  save  me:  there- 
fore will  we  sing  my  songs  to  the  stringed 
instruments  all  the  days  of  our  life  in  the 
house  of  the  Lord.9 

In  the  first  year  of  the  King  Darius, 
Daniel  read  the  prophecies  of  Jere- 
miah and  understood  that  the  Lord 
"would  accomplish  seventy  years  in 
the  desolations  of  Jerusalem."  Daniel 
sought  the  Lord 

...  by  prayer  and  supplications,  with 
fasting,  and  sackcloth,  and  ashes:  [and 
cried   out] 

.  .  .  O  our  God,  hear  the  prayer  of  thy 
servant,  and  his  supplications,  and  cause 
thy  face  to  shine  upon  thy  sanctuary.  .  .  . 

O  my  God,  incline  thine  ear,  and  hear: 
open  thine  eyes,  and  behold  our  desola- 
tions, .  .  .  for  we  do  not  present  our  sup- 


7I    Kings    8:22-23. 


sIsaiah  38:2-3. 
Hbid.,   38:16,   18-20. 


'Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread. 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


plications  before  thee  for  our  righteousness, 
but  for  thy  great  mercies.10 

In  all  history,  God  has  dealt  with 
his  children  according  to  their  faith 
and  prayers.  He  has  heard  their 
supplications,  their  expressions  of 
thanksgiving,  and  their  triumphant 
prayers  of  exaltation.  The  language 
used  in  such  utterances  should  in- 
spire our  deepest  interest  and  most 
sincere  study  if  we  are  to  rise  above 
the  most  ordinary  and  commonplace 
manner  of  speaking.  He  is  our  king 
and  should  be  addressed  in  language 
befitting  his  majesty  and  power. 

There  are  also  among  the  writings 
of  the  literary  masters  many  lovely 
prayers.  Read  them  for  sheer  beauty, 
depth  of  sacred  feeling,  and  loftiness 
of  expression. 

Some  prayers  are  shared  through 
singing  together.  A  favorite  hymn  of 
Latter-day  Saints  is  "Guide  Me  To 
Thee:" 

When  strife  and  sin  arise, 

Guide  me  to  Thee; 

When  tears  bedim   my  eyes, 

Guide  me  to  Thee; 

When  hopes  are  crushed  and  dead, 

When   earthly  joys    are   fled, 

Thy  glory  round  me  shed, 

Guide  me  to  Thee." 

Although  we  may  not  use  the  words 
of  sublime  scriptures  and  writings  as 
a  part  of  our  prayers,  they  can  pro- 
vide inspiration  and  be  reflected  in 
our  expressions  before  the  Lord. 

A  word  of  caution  is  offered  to  all 
who  pray:  Let  us  not  presume  to 
specify  the  manner  in  which  God 
shall  answer  our  prayers.  Rather 
let  us  trust  to  his  benevolent  wisdom. 

When  we  pray  in  our  Church 
gatherings,  we  should  realize  that  we 
are  expressing  the  thoughts  and  feel- 
ings of  an  entire  congregation  and 
should  avoid  the  common  mistake  of 
praying  for  ourselves  alone.  Instead 
of  saying  "my  prayer"  and  "my 
faith"  we  should  say  "our  prayer" 
and  "our  faith."  We  should  direct 
our  thinking  to  the  purpose  of  the 
prayer,  the  significance  and  theme 
of  the  meeting,  and  the  needs  and 
feelings    of   the   entire    congregation. 

Our  prayers  should  not  become 
stereotyped,  rigid,  or  routine.  We 
should  remember  that  needs  and  cir- 
cumstances change  from  day  to  day 
and  that  our  prayers  should  be  ap- 
(Concluded  on  following  page) 

K>DanieI    9:3,    17-18. 

^The   Latter-day    Saint    Hymnhook   under    the    title 
"Jesus,   My  Savior  True." 

647 


Talking  With  Our  Father  Through  Prayer 


(Concluded  from  preceding  page) 

propriate  to  the  occasion,  season,  and 
times. 

We  should  not  use  the  name  of 
Deity  too  often  nor  repeat  over  and 
over  again  such  phrases  as  "Our 
Father  in  heaven,"  or  "Dear  Father." 
Needless  reiterations  change  the 
sacred  connotations  of  prayers  into 
redundant  utterances. 

We  have  been  instructed  by  our 
General  Authorities  in  the  words  of 
Elder  Francis  M.  Lyman  not  only  re- 
garding the  "repetition  of  the  name 
of  Deity"  but  also  most  impressively 
about  the  length  of  our  invocations 
and  benedictions.  Heed  his  wise 
words: 

It  is  not  necessary  to  offer  very  long  and 
tedious  prayers,  either  at  the  opening  or 
closing.  It  is  not  only  not  pleasing  to  the 
Lord  for  us  to  use  excess  of  words,  but  also 
it  is  not  pleasing  to  the  Latter-day  Saints. 
Two  minutes  will  open  any  kind  of  meet- 
ing, and  a  half  minute  will  close  it. 

We  ought  to  take  into  account  the  occa- 
sion, and  let  the  prayer  be  suited  exactly 
to  it.  Some  times  our  habits  may  control 
us  more  strongly  than  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  so  we  should  consider  these  things. 
Offer  short  prayers  and  avoid  vain  repeti- 
tions, particularly  the  repetition  of  the  name 
of  Deity,  and.  the  name  of  the  Savior.  It 
is  quite  common  to  open  a  prayer  in  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  close  it  in  his 
name,  and  possibly  use  his  name  a  few 
times  through  the  prayer.  If  we  approach 
the  Father  and  offer  our  petitions  to  him, 
and  then  close  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
it  is  sufficient.  There  is  no  prayer  so  great 
and  important  that  it  is  necessary  to  use 
more  than  once  the  name  of  the  Son  of 
God  and  the  Father.12 


Dr.  Royal  L.  Garff 

that  I  myself  have  been  shocked  as  I  have 
heard  missionaries  called  on  for  prayer  who 
seem  to  have  had  no  experience  or  training 
whatever  in  the  use  of  the  language  of 
prayer. 

...  I  think,  my  brethren,  that  in  the 
quorums  and  in  the  classes,  you  would  do 
well,  as  in  the  homes,  also,  to  teach  the 
language     of    prayer — "thee"     and     "thou" 


rather  than  "you."  It  always  seems  disap- 
pointing to  me  to  have  our  Father  in  heaven, 
our  Lord,  addressed  as  "You."  It  is  surpris- 
ing how  much  we  see  of  this  ...  I  think 
you  might  make  a  note  of  it,  and  avail 
yourselves  of  any  opportunities  that  may 
come  in  order  to  teach  the  sacred  and 
reverential    language  of   prayer. 

It  should  also  be  observed  that  the 
verb,  when  it  is  used  with  a  sacred 
pronoun,  ends  in  "est"  or  "eth."  Here 
are  a  few  examples:  "Thou  knowest," 
or  "He  knoweth,"  "keepest"  and 
"keepeth,"  "bringest,"  "bringeth," 
"worketh,"  or  "workest,"  "abideth" 
or  "abidest,"  "supplieth,"  "believest" 
"nearest,"  "doeth,"  "hast,"  "wilt," 
"canst,"  and  the  like.  There  are 
scores  of  words  like  these.  Surely, 
we  should  form  the  habit  of  using 
them  correctly  and  of  pronouncing 
them  clearly  and  easily. 

In  the  classical  language  of  the  Old 
Testament,  the  Lord  spake  unto 
Moses,  saying: 

.  .  .  On  this  wise  ye  shall  bless  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  saying  unto  them, 

The  Lord  bless  thee,  and  keep  thee: 

The  Lord  make  his  face  shine  upon  thee, 
and   be  gracious  unto   thee: 

The  Lord  lift  up  his  countenance  upon 
thee,  and  give  thee  peace." 


"Numbers  6:23-27. 


David  Oman  McKay 
Teacher  and  Prophet 

By  Leone  E.  McCune 


If  there  remains  any  question  about 
being  reverently  brief,  hearken  to  the 
plain  words  of  Jesus: 

But  when  ye  pray,  use  not  vain  repeti- 
tions, as  the  heathen  do:  for  they  think  that 
they  shall  be  heard  for  their  much  speaking. 

Be  not  ye  therefore  like  unto  them:  for 
your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye  have 
need  of,  before  ye  ask  him.13 

We  should  always  address  Deity 
with  the  use  of  the  sacred  pronouns 
thou,  thee,  thy,  and  thine,  observing 
the  wise  counsel  of  President  Stephen 
L  Richards  as  given  in  the  general 
priesthood  meeting,  October  6,  1951: 

We  have  discovered  ...  a  lack  of  proper 
teaching  with  reference  to  prayer.     I  know 


CJtraight-backed  and  dignified 
^   A  tall  broad-shouldered  figure 
Of  a  man,  sculptured  white  hair, 
Dark,  soul-searching  eyes, 
Sincere,  gracious  and  magnetic. 

Born  of  noble  parents,  in  a  home 
Where  family  love  and  true  devotion 
To  God  were  paramount. 
Reared   amid   lush  green  summer 
Vales  and  hills,  the  blue-white  silences 
Of  winter  snows. 

In  this  peaceful  place  the  boy  grew  up, 
Sledding,  riding  horses,  working,  study- 
ing 
In  the  old  rock  schoolhouse — 
Later  in  schools  of  higher  learning. 


12From  an  address  delivered  in  MIA  conference, 
June  5,  1892,  and  reprinted  in  The  Improvement  Era, 
April    1947,   p.   245. 

^Matthew  6:7-8. 

648 


And  always  with  him  the  dream,  the 

desire 
To  teach,  to  explain  God's  purposes 
With  His  people  here  on  earth, 
To  render  compassionate  service. 

Teacher,  President  of  Weber  Academy, 
Apostle  of  the  Church,  and  last, 
Beloved  Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator. 
Leader  and  teacher  wherever  he  goes, 
In  character,  in  example, 
An  inspiration  to  all  who  are  privileged 
To    come    in   contact    with   his    divine 
spirit. 

God  grant  him  years  and  years 
To  guide,  to  voice  His  teachings 
To  the  peoples  of  the  world. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


63,000,000 


On  the  night  of  September  7,  1956, 
Mars  will  be  at  a  distance  of  some 
35,200,000  miles  from  the  Earth, 
the  nearest  Mars  will  approach  the 
Earth  for  another  fifteen  years.  Ris- 
ing in  the  east  in  the  early  fall  eve- 
ning, Mars  is  the  most  conspicuous 
star-like  object  in  the  heavens.  It 
can  be  easily  distinguished  from  the 
stars  by  its  great  brilliance  and  red 
color. 

Of  the  Sun's  family  of  planets,  no 
planet  except  the  Earth  has  been  the 
object  of  so  much  observation  and 
study.  While  these  studies  have  re- 
sulted in  some  well-founded  results, 
many  questions  concerning  the  planet 
Mars  remain  unanswered.  Let  us  re- 
view what  three  hundred  years  of 
telescopic  observations  have  revealed. 

Viewed  with  a  telescope,  Mars  is 
usually  a  disappointing  sight  unless 
the  atmosphere  of  the  Earth  is  ex- 
ceptionally steady.  Turbulence  of 
the  air  blurs  the  image,  and  many  of 
the  details  of  the  planet  are  lost. 
Under    exceptionally    steady    atmos- 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


pheric  conditions,  however,  much  of 
the  intricate  detail  on  Mars  can  be 
seen  with  even  moderate  size  tele- 
scopes. 

The  polar  caps  are  the  most  con- 
spicuous features  on  the  surface  of 
Mars;  they  appear  as  white  patches 
that  cover  the  polar  regions.  Both 
caps  change  size;  they  are  large  dur- 
ing the  Martian  winter  months  and 
small  during  the  summer  months,  for 
Mars  has  seasons  that  resemble  our 
own,  although  they  are  twice  as  long. 
The  alternate  expanding  and  shrink- 
ing of  the  caps  is  repeated  each  Mar- 
tian year  with  great  regularity. 

Occasionally  during  the  shrinkage 
of  the  caps,  white  isolated  spots  oc- 
cur, persist  for  a  time,  and  then  disap- 
pear. These  isolated  patches  always 
occur  at  the  same  points  on  the  sur- 
face, thus  suggesting  they  are  located 
on  a  summit  or  the  shady  slope  of  a 
hill. 

The  cyclic  behavior  of  the  polar 
caps  suggests  that  they  are  extensive 
snow  or  frost  fields  which  are  formed 


The  Planet  Mars 


By  D.  H.  McNamara 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNIVERSITY 


in  the  winter  nights  and  progressively 
shrink  under  the  heat  of  the  return- 
ing sun.  If  this  is  true,  there  should 
be  water  present  at  the  melting,  un- 
less the  snow  or  frost  is  transformed 
directly  into  the  gaseous  state.  A 
dark  fringe  bordering  the  polar  cap 
has  been  reported  by  many  observers. 
This  suggests  the  existence  of  a  zone 
near  the  edges  of  the  cap  where  the 
soil  has  been  dampened  by  the  melted 
snow  or  frost.  On  the  other  hand, 
some  observers  regard  this  fringe  as 
an  optical  illusion.  There  is  suffi- 
cient evidence  from  other  sources, 
however,  to  conclude  almost  with  cer- 
tainty that  at  the  ground  level  the 
caps  are  composed  of  a  thin  layer 
of  frost  or  snow.  They  appear  to  be 
surface  features  with  a  cloud  or  mist 
hanging  above  them. 

About  two-thirds  of  the  surface  of 
Mars  has  a  rosy  or  orange  color, 
which  accounts  for  the  ruddy  glow  of 
the  planet  as  seen  with  the  naked  eye. 
Such  areas  for  a  long  time  have  been 
regarded  as  barren  desert  regions 
which  have  been  reduced  to  a  fine 
powder  by  the  action  of  winds.  If 
mountains  are  present,  they  cannot 
be  higher  than  a  few  thousand  feet. 

The  exact  mineralogical  nature  of 
these  regions  remains  unknown.  From 
the  observed  fact  that  these  regions 
appear  to  be  uniform  in  color,  we 
can  probably  conclude  correctly  that 
the  chemical  composition  of  the  top 
layer  shows  less  variety  than  the  cor- 
responding top  layer  found  on  Earth. 

In  addition  to  the  bright  orange- 
colored  regions,  there  are  dark  re- 
gions (blue-green)  which  form  per- 
manent patterns  on  the  surface  of 
the  planet.  Useful  telescopic  ob- 
servations of  these  dark  areas  extend- 
ing back  to  1660  have  made  possible 
an  accurate  determination  of  the  pe- 
riod of  rotation.  The  period  is  24h 
37m,  just  a  little  longer  than  the 
Earth's  period  of  rotation.  Hence,  a 
day  on  Mars  would  be  very  similar 
to  a  day  on  the  Earth. 

Careful  studies  of  the  dark  regions 
have  revealed  that  they  undergo  cer- 


(Continued  on  following  page) 


649 


The  Planet  Mars 

(Continued  from  preceding  page) 
tain  modifications  in  detail.  These 
changes  are  intrinsic,  definitely  affect- 
ing the  true  surface  of  the  planet. 
The  variations  are  of  two  types: 
One  type  is  completely  irregular; 
it  consists  of  changes  in  brightness 
that  occur  usually  on  the  edge  of  a 
dark  region.  These  bordering  areas 
take  on  the  same  coloring  as  the  ad- 
jacent dark  regions;  then,  after  per- 
sisting for  several  years,  the  areas 
gradually  change  and  regain  their 
normal  appearance.  Certain  areas  on 
the  planet  are  more  subject  to  these 
irregular  changes  than  others. 

More  interesting  are  the  seasonal 
variations  of  the  blue-green  areas 
which  occur  with  regularity  each 
Martian  year.  With  the  shrinking  of 
the  polar  caps,  the  blue-green  areas 
around  the  caps  gradually  darken; 
the  darkening  extends  day  by  day  to- 
ward the  Martian  equator,  reaching 

650 


Seasonal  changes  in  South  Polar  Cap  of  Mars 

the    equatorial    regions    by    the    late 
spring  and  summer. 

This  remarkable  change  in  the  in- 
tensity of  the  dark  regions  of  Mars 
suggests  a  phenomenon  that  is  cor- 
related directly  with  the  arrival  of 
moisture  provided  by  the  melting 
of  the  polar  caps.  One  appealing  ex- 
planation is  that  the  dark  areas  are 
regions  supporting  forms  of  vegeta- 
tion whose  growth  and  decay  during 
the  Martian  season  account  for  the 
changes  that  we  observe.  Appealing 
as  this  hypothesis  is,  it  has  its  difficul- 
ties, for  a  study  of  the  light  reflected 
from  these  regions  has  demonstrated 
the  lack  of  chlorophyll  which  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  green  pigment  of  the 
higher  forms  of  plant  life  found  on 
Earth.  This  does  not  rule  out,  how- 
ever, the  presence  of  lower  forms  of 
plant  life  such  as  lichens  and  certain 
hardy  mosses.  It  is  true  that  the 
existence  of  an  atmosphere  on  Mars 
is  proved  by  the  presence  of  occasional 
clouds  that  obscure  the  surface  of  the 


— Photograph  by  E.  C.  Slipher,  Lowell  Observatory. 

planet.  Transitory  bright  spots,  last- 
ing only  a  few  hours,  are  haze;  others, 
which  are  conspicuous  in  yellow  light 
and  last  for  several  days,  are  prob- 
ably dust  storms.  But  the  most  serious 
objection  to  the  vegetative  hypothesis 
is  the  almost  total  absence  of  free 
oxygen  in  the  Martian  atmosphere. 
Spectrographic  studies  have  revealed 
that  free  oxygen,  if  there  is  any,  does 
not  exist  in  density  equal  to  one  per- 
cent of  that  found  on  Earth  at  sea 
level.  Although  there  is  also  no  trace 
of  water  vapor  present  in  a  spectrum 
of  Mars,  there  still  may  be  enough 
present  to  form  thin  snow  caps,  haze, 
and  perhaps  thin  clouds  as  well. 
Carbon  dioxide  is  present  in  an 
abundance  greater  than  that  found 
in  our  own  atmosphere.  Although  it 
is  impossible  to  verify,  the  chief  con- 
stituent of  the  Martian  atmosphere  is 
probably  nitrogen,  which  is  also  the 
chief  constitutent  of  Earth's  atmos- 
phere.   That  the  Martian  atmosphere 

(Continued  on  page  653) 
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The  Planet  Mars 


(Continued  from  page  650) 
is  much  thinner  than  the  Earth's  is 
certain  because  of  the  lower  surface 
gravity  on  Mars  and  the  clearness 
with  which  we  can  view  the  surface. 
At  the  distance  of  Mars,  the  in- 
tensity of  the  Sun's  radiation  is  only 
four-ninths  that  received  by  Earth; 
it  is  to  be  expected  that  the  tempera- 


ture is  lower  than  Earth's.  By  direct 
measurement  the  average  temperature 
of  Mars  has  been  found  to  be  40°  be- 
low zero  compared  with  a  mean  tem- 
perature of  60°  above  zero  on  Earth. 
At  the  Martian  equator,  however,  the 
temperature  may  rise  to  as  high  as 
50°  above  zero  at  noon,  but  at  night 

(Concluded  on  following  page) 


Richard  L.  Evans 

'T'here  was  once  perpetrated  upon  the  public  a  two-word 
-1-  phrase  that  is  contrary  to  truth  and  goodness  and  good 
sense:  "Live  dangerously."  Many  do  it,  and  many  have 
done  it — of  which  the  rising  accident  rate  is  eloquent  evi- 
dence, and  of  which  there  are  other  evidences  also,  with 
broken  lives,  and  broken  bodies,  and  broken  minds— and 
broken  hearts — and  senseless  waste  and  sorrow.  Some  of  it 
may  be  unavoidable,  so  far  as  human  power  to  prevent — 
but  much  of  it  comes  from  a  brash  or  thoughtless  or  in- 
temperate attitude  toward  life,  from  lack  of  calm  purpose 
and  calm  consideration,  and  lack  of  understanding  of  the 
ultimate  objective.  And  it  isn't  only  with  physical  or  me- 
chanical mishaps  that  we  are  concerned.  Many  men  live 
dangerously  mentally  and  morally,  and  run  contrary  to  the 
current  of  truth,  contrary  to  the  simple,  ageless  God-given 
commandments,  and  so  create  worries  and  frictions  and  ten- 
sions and  troubles  inside  themselves — and  outside  also. 
Everyone  who  violates  any  valid  law  lives  dangerously,  be- 
cause the  very  violation  of  law  is  evidence  of  an  unsafe  atti- 
tude. There  is  no  wisdom  really  in  crowding  corners,  in 
scuffing  against  every  obstacle,  in  contesting  every  right-of- 
way,  in  cutting  to  the  unsafe  side,  in  pushing  headlong  ever 
faster  than  the  safe  legal  limits.  (Nor  even  is  there  any 
wisdom  in  taking  into  ourselves  things  which  are  damaging 
or  deteriorating.)  There  is  great,  quiet  sustaining  strength 
and  satisfaction  in  the  calm  and  thoughtful  living  of  life — 
in  running  sensibly  in  safe  channels;  but  there  is  no  satisfy- 
ing happiness  in  the  tensions  and  anxieties  of  an  unsafe 
situation;  there  is  no  happiness  in  having  to  run  away;  there 
is  no  happiness  in  the  fears  of  an  unquiet  conscience;  there 
is  no  happiness  in  gambling  away  irreplaceable  things;  there 
is  no  happiness  in  uncontrolled  temper.  There  is  no  real 
happiness  in  a  wildly  flaming  fire— excitement  perhaps,  but 
not  happiness.  There  are  commandments;  there  are  rules; 
there  are  laws;  there  are  ways  of  quiet  and  considered  safety 
that  would  lengthen  out  our  lives  and  endear  us  to  others 
and  cut  down  the  tragedies,  the  injuries,  the  illnesses,  the 
accidents.  And  in  contrast  to  the  false  and  futile  invitation 
to  "live  dangerously"  we  suggest  simply  for  those  who  seek 
peace  and  health  and  happiness — and  safety  and  survival: 
Live  thoughtfully,  with  high  purpose  and  a  quiet  conscience. 


~Jke    S^pohen      t/l/ord 


>p 


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SEPTEMBER  1956 


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Name  _ 
Address , 

City 

State  


653 


The  Planet  Mars 


(Concluded  from  preceding  page) 

the  temperature  must  fall  consider- 
ably below  zero.  Thus,  the  range  of 
temperatures  experienced  through  a 
Martian  day  is  considerably  greater 
than  we  experience  on  Earth  during 
twenty-four  hours. 

In  view  of  our  present  knowledge  of 
Mars,  what  can  we  say  about  the 
presence  of  life  on  Mars?  The  ques- 
tion of  the  existence  of  life  naturally 
has  to  be  restricted  to  the  case  of 
life  as  we  know  it.  Life  on  Earth 
requires  an  abundance  of  oxygen,  re- 
stricted conditions  of  temperature  and 
atmospheric  pressure.  Since  these  con- 
ditions are  not  met  satisfactorily  on 
Mars,  we  can  say  with  reasonable 
certainty  that  the  great  majority  of 
living  things  found  on  Earth,  in- 
cluding ourselves,  would  perish  if  ex- 
posed to  the  atmosphere  of  Mars. 
Yet  we  cannot  say  with  certainty  that 
Mars  is  devoid  of  life,  for  the  real 
possibility  exists  that  life  can  adapt 
itself  to  Martian  conditions — condi- 
tions in  some  respects  not  too  differ- 
ent from  our  own. 


Some  observers  have  reported  see- 
ing a  network  of  dark  lines  that  criss- 
cross the  surface  of  the  planet.  These 
lines,  which  are  known  as  "canals," 
have  been  reported  as  being  very  thin 
and  often  double,  exhibiting  a  re- 
markable geometric  regularity  which 
is  hard  to  account  for  on  the  basis  of 
natural  causes.  Others  consider  the 
"canals"  an  illusion;  to  them  the 
canals  appear  as  wide,  diffuse  bands. 
Perhaps  additional  study  of  the  planet 
during  the  present  favorable  approach 
will  help  to  solve  the  argument  about 
"canals"  that  has  persisted  for  more 
than  half  a  century. 

Mars  has  two  satellites  (moons) 
which  were  discovered  in  1877.  They 
are  very  small,  less  than  ten  miles  in 
diameter.  The  inner  moon  is  named 
Phobos  (fear)  and  the  outer  moon 
Deimos  (panic).  Phobos  is  only 
3700  miles  from  the  surface  of  Mars 
and  would,  to  an  observer  on  Mars, 
appear  to  rise  above  the  western  sky 
every  eleven  hours;  it  would,  there- 


fore, rise  twice  during  a  single  Mar- 
tian day  and  change  from  a  crescent 
to  a  full  moon  in  about  five  hours. 
Deimos;  on  the  other  hnd,  would  rise 
in  the  east  and  remain  above  the 
horizon  for  several  days,  as  it  passes 
through  two  complete  cycles  or  phases 
before  setting  on  the  western  horizon. 

Perhaps  of  even  greater  interest  is 
the  remarkable  anticipation  of  these 
curious  moons  in  Jonathan  Swift's 
Gulliver's  Travels.  In  this  book,  he 
describes  the  astronomical  accom- 
plishments of  the  Lilliputians  who 
"discovered  two  lesser  stars,  or  satel- 
lites, which  revolve  about  Mars, 
whereof  the  innermost  is  distant  from 
the  center  of  the  primary  planet 
exactly  three  of  the  diameters,  and  the 
outermost  five;  the  former  revolves 
in  the  space  of  ten  hours,  and  the 
latter  in  twenty-one  and  a  half."  The 
figures  for  the  distances  and  periods  of 
the  moons  are  close  to  their  true 
values,  yet  the  book  was  written  by 
Swift  a  century  and  a  half  before  the 
moons  were  actually  discovered! 


Jesus  Christ — the  God  of  the  Old  Testament 


(Concluded  from  page  638) 
by  a  pillar  of  fire  at  night  and  a  cloud 
by  day,  providing  them  with  manna 
when  they  were  hungry  and  water 
when  they  were  thirsty,  and  parting 
the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  for  them. 

At  Mt.  Sinai,  Jesus  spent  forty  days 
conferring  with  Moses,  and  there  gave 
him  the  Ten  Commandments  and 
many    other    laws    and    instructions. 

Before  his  death  Moses  ordained 
Joshua  to  lead  the  children  of  Israel. 
Jesus  spoke  to  him  saying:  ".  .  .  as  I 
was  with  Moses,  so  I  will  be  with 
thee:  I  will  not  fail  thee,  nor  for- 
sake thee."11  Through  Joshua,  Jesus 
led  the  Israelites  over  the  Jordan 
River,  dividing  the  waters  for  them, 
capturing  Jericho,  and  reestablishing 
them  in  the  promised  land.  Later  he 
set  up  judges  over  them  and  raised 
up  great  men  like  Gideon  to  deliver 
them  from  their  enemies. 

So  it  was  throughout  the  entire 
history  of  the  Israelites,  as  is  recorded 
in  the  Old  Testament  in  the  Bible. 
Dozens  of  chosen  prophets  talked 
with  Jesus  and  were  instructed  by 
him. 

In    a    like   manner   Jesus    watched 


over  his  people  on  the  American 
continent,  as  is  told  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon.  All  the  prophets  from  the 
brother  of  Jared  to  Moroni  testify  of 
him. 

Jesus  himself  left  his  testimony  to 


this  effect.  To  the  Nephite  prophets 
on  the  American  continent  after  his 
resurrection  he  declared:  "Behold,  I 
am  Jesus  Christ  whom  the  prophets 
testified  shall   come   into   the  world. 


TO  A  CERTAIN  TEACHER 
By  Eloise  Wade  Hackett 

Vou  were  a  green  oasis  in  a  great 

Gray   waste   of   unresponsive    minds.     I 
sought 
Refreshment  at  your  quiet  pool.    I  ate 
And   drank  there,   resting,   and    at   length  I 

caught 
Faint    glimpses   of    a    pathway    that    would 

lead 
Me   safely   through   the  wilderness   of   dune 
And   sun.    Without  that   aid   could    I   have 

freed 
Myself    to    search    for    mountains    or    the 

moon? 
I  lost  my  need  of  roving  long  ago 
In  helping  tend  a  garden  on  this  hill; 
Yet  now  and  then  if  dusty  windstorms  blow, 
The  desert  panorama  haunts  me  still. 
Though  blurred   by   distance   are   the   miles 

of  sand, 
Cool    green    comes    into    focus    where    you 

stand. 


uJoshua  1:5. 

654 


"...  I  am  the  God  of  Israel,  and 
the  God  of  the  whole  earth,  and  have 
been  slain  for  the  sins  of  the  world."1- 

Again  he  said  to  the  Nephites: 
"Behold,  I  say  unto  you  that  the  law 
is  fulfilled  that  was  given  unto  Moses. 

"Behold,  I  am  he  that  gave  the  law, 
and  I  am  he  who  covenanted  with 
my  people  Israel;  therefore,  the  law  in 
me  is  fulfilled,  .  .  ,"13 

All  of  this  evidence,  and  much  more 
that  has  not  been  given  because  of 
the  lack  of  space,  show  that  it  was 
part  of  the  great  plan  of  salvation 
worked  out  by  our  Father  in  heaven 
for  his  Beloved  Son  to  watch  over  the 
affairs  of  the  earth  from  the  begin- 
ning, and  to  be  our  Lord  and  our  Re- 
deemer. What  a  joy  it  is  to  know, 
clearly,  these  truths  about  God  and 
his  purposes. 

123  Nephi   11:10,    14. 
WNephi    15:4-5. 

(Next  Month:  Birthplace  of  A  King.) 
THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


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BYU  FOOTBALL  SCHEDULE 
1956 

Date          Opponent  Place 

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Sept.  22  Fresno  State  Provo 

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Oct.  6              Utah  Provo 
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^)ome  side  liakts  on  freedom, .  . . 

Richard  L.  Evans 

T^his  significant  season  suggests  some  side  lights  on  free- 
A  dom:  One  fact  concerning  freedom  is  that  we  seem  so 
readily  to  recognize  an  enemy  that  assails  our  freedom  with 
force,  but  do  not  always  so  readily  recognize  the  loss  of 
freedom  by  quiet  encroachment.  Indeed  if  something  subtly 
infringes  a  small  step  at  a  time  upon  an  established  princi- 
ple, it  can  often  go  a  long  way  (like  a  habit)  before  we  fully 
know  what  hold  it  has  on  us.  Some  "freedoms"  so-called, 
have  been  much  talked  of,  and  some  have  been  too  far 
forgotten.  One  freedom  so  cherished  in  our  lives  is  freedom 
from  intrusion  upon  our  personal  privacy.  If  the  flagrant 
violation  of  personal  privacy  should  come  upon  us  all  at 
once,  we  would  no  doubt  resist  it  in  all  earnestness.  But  the 
intrusive,  quiet  encroachments  can  be  a  matter  of  serious 
concern.  There  is  another  question  concerning  freedom  that 
should  be  seriously  considered:  Having  freely  received  a 
heritage  of  freedom  from  our  fathers,  how  far  would  we  be 
justified  in  fettering  our  children?  What  obligations  should 
one  generation  impose  upon  another?  To  what  extent  can 
we  conscientiously  let  the  future  pay  for  the  past — in  money 
or  in  other  matters?  Owing  so  much  to  our  grandfathers, 
how  much  should  we  owe  to  our  grandchildren?  How  much 
are  we  justified  in  binding  the  yet  unborn?  We  leave  these 
questions  open,  as  they  provocatively  suggest  themselves,  and 
close  with  these  seldom  quoted  words  from  Andrew  Jack- 
son's Farewell  Address:  "These  multiplied  favors,  we  owe. 
under  Providence,  to  the  adoption  of  the  .  .  .  constitution.  .  .  . 
Experience  .  .  .  has  shown  the  wisdom  and  foresight  of  those 
who  framed  it.  .  .  .  [But]  no  free  government  can  stand  with- 
out virtue  in  the  people  and  a  lofty  spirit  of  patriotism.  .  .  . 
You  have  the  highest  of  human  trusts  committed  to  your 
care.  Providence  has  showered  on  this  favored  land  bless- 
ings without  number.  .  .  .  May  He  who  holds  in  His  hands 
the  destiny  of  nations  make  you  worthy  of  the  favors  He 
has  bestowed,  and  enable  you,  with  pure  hearts,  and  pure 
hands,  and  sleepless  vigilance,  to  guard  and  defend  to  the 
end  of  time  the  great  charge  He  has  committed  to  your 
keeping.  My  own  race  is  nearly  run;  .  .  .  [but]  I  thank  God 
that  my  life  has  been  spent  in  a  land  of  liberty.  .  .  ."1  God 
grant  that  we  may  live  and  act  and  so  face  our  own  obliga- 
tions, that  our  children's  children  unto  the  farthest  future 
may  also  say,  "Thank  God  my  life  has  been  lived  in  a  land 
of  liberty." 

^Jke   Spoken     lA/ord  from  temple  square 

PRESENTED  OVER  KSL  AND  THE  COLUMBIA  BROADCASTING 

SYSTEM,  JULY  1,  1956 

Copyright    1956 


3 Jackson's  Farewell   Address. 


DAYLIGHT 
By  Eloise  Wade  Hackett 


TPhe  lake  is  loath  to  let  the  daylight  go; 
Clasping  her  trailing  robe,  it  gently  keeps 
Its  hold  till  sunset  dims  to  afterglow 
And  weary  land,  now  shadow-quilted,  sleeps. 
And  when  the  drowsy  land  but  half  awake 


656 


Has  reached  for  working  clothes  and  slowly 

dressed, 
It  finds  out  that  the  early-riser,  lake, 
Has  caught  the  day  already  to  its 

breast. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Standard  asphalt  research  helps  bring  taxpayers 
3  miles  of  paving  for  the  cost  of  2 


You  are  more  comfortable,  get  there  faster,  when  you 
drive  on  safe,  modern  roads  of  sturdy  and  resilient  asphalt. 

CROWDED  HIGHWAYS  waste  motorists'  time— and  lives. 
To  build  more  miles  of  better  roads  at  lowest  cost,  highway  engi- 
neers turned  to  asphalt  paving  for  85  %  of  the  nation's  roads.  They 
find  asphalt  costs  30  to  50%  less  than  other  pavements.  It  lasts 
longer,  reduces  headlight  and  sunlight  glare,  provides  noiseless, 
comfortable  driving.  To  help  meet  the  nation's  highway  needs, 
Standard*  has  expanded  its  asphalt  production  across  the  coun- 
try, now  operates  nine  asphalt  refineries. 

Our  scientists  work  with  highway  engineers  on  improved  construc- 
tion techniques  which  save  millions  of  your  tax  dollars  each  year. 
This  means  more  and  better  roads,  to  serve  a  nation  on  the  move. 


P&         1956 


2O,000  miles  of  additional 
highway  construction  by  1965 


V 


^through  Standard's  wholly-owned  subsidiary,  American  Bitumuls  &  Asphalt  Company 

STANDARD    OIL  COMPANY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

puts    petroleum   progress    to    work    for   you 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


657 


The  Bride  Wore  lace 


(Concluded  from  page  645) 
dress  with  a  train  and  everything." 

Her  mother  sat  down  at  the  maple 
gateleg  table,  limply.  "But  ...  I 
thought  you  told  us  you  were  going 
to  wait  awhile.  I  thought  you  wanted 
to  go  to  college,"  she  said.  "If  I  had 
known  this  I  would  never  have  con- 
sented to  the  engagement." 

"Oh,  Mother,  don't  say  that.  You 
know  you  would.  Maybe  I  can  go 
to  college  after  we're  married.  Any- 
way, there's  nothing  particularly  I 
want  to  take.  I  know  shorthand  and 
typing  and  bookkeeping  if  I  ever  have 
to  work.     Oh,  I'm  so  happy!" 

Coleen  moved  over  to  the  stove — 
like  a  ray  of  light — and  tasted  the 
strawberry  jam  her  mother  was  cook- 
ing. Kip,  who  had  come  in  through 
the  back  door  while  they  were  talking, 
said,  "Jeepers,  I  can  just  imagine  you 
married.  Your  cooking  would  give 
him  ptomaine  poisoning  right  off  the 
bat."  But  there  was  a  smile  in  his 
eyes,  and  his  face  was  so  pale  that  it 
accentuated  his  smattering  of  freckles. 

"You  can  be  an  usher,  dar-ling," 
she  assured  him,  whirling  to  tweek 
his  chin.  Then,  "Oh,  and  I  almost 
forgot  to  tell  you.  I'm  going  to  work 
in  Doctor  Ray's  office  ...  for  the 
summer.  I'm  going  down  this  after- 
noon and  take  a  few  letters  and  get 
some  statements  ready." 

"But  I  had  planned  on  your  help- 
ing me,"  her  mother  said  automatical- 
ly, still  stunned  by  the  news. 

"Oh,  I'm  sorry.  Couldn't  you  get 
that  girl — oh,  you  know  that  school- 
girl— to  come  and  help  you?" 

Coleen  started  through  the  door  on 
her  way  to  her  room.  Delia  looked 
at  her  long  auburn  hair,  her  pert 
little  figure,  and  said  meaningfully, 
"I'm  not  sure  your  father  and  I  will 
go  along  with  this  September  wed- 
ding.    I'm  not  at  all  sure." 

"I'm  sorry,  Mother,  that  you  can't 
go  along  with  us,"  the  girl  said,  "be- 
cause we  really  plan  to  get  mar- 
ried in  September.  Remember  I'm 
nearly  nineteen." 

"But  you  wouldn't  do  that  without 
..."  the  older  woman  began,  as  Coleen 
gave  a  small  sob,  crying,  "Oh,  Mother, 
why'd  you  have  to  go  and  spoil  it 
all?"  and  rushed  from  the  room. 

September!  Less  than  three  months! 
If  she  could  only  leave  the  cherries 
and  strawberries  she  was  canning,  go 
somewhere  and  weep!  But  the  fruit 
was  ready  to  be  done,  and  she  must 

658 


stay  and  do  it.  Perhaps  it  was  good 
that  duty  forced  her  to  keep  busy 
.  .  .  oh,  and  she  must  call  Marie,  the 
young  girl  who  had  helped  her  several 
times,  when  she  had  been  unable 
to  get  other  help.  She  was  only  fifteen, 
but  she  would  at  least  break  this  aw- 
ful silence.  But  could  she  ease  the  si- 
lence in  her  heart,  the  pain? 

She  made  the  call,  went  back  to 
stemming  cherries.  The  faster  she 
worked  the  more  her  mind  became 
set  against  the  wedding.  It  wasn't 
fair  to  give  such  short  notice.  Spring, 
at  least,  would  be  soon  enough.  She 
would  not  give  her  consent! 

By  the  time  Marie  came,  Delia's 
forehead  was  damp  from  perspira- 
tion. She  had  worked  herself  into 
a  state  of  excitement  and  emotion,  but 
she  really  believed  now  that  her  plan 
would  work.  It  must. 

"Hi,"  Marie  said,  coming  through 
the  back  door,  "looks  like  you're 
busy." 

"I  surely  am.  You  can  take  a  pan 
of  those  cherries  and  start  stemming 
them.     I'll  wash  them  after." 

The  girl  chattered  as  they  worked, 
and  Delia  remembered  the  many 
times  she  and  her  daughter  had 
worked  together  like  this,  happily, 
cozily,  with  confidences  exchanged, 
stories  told,  with  laughter  .  .  .  and 
love. 

There  wasn't  too  much  she  could 
say  to  Marie,  but  the  girl  didn't  seem 
to  mind.  She  talked  on,  and  Delia 
was  stopped  short  in  her  preparing  of 
syrup  to  pour  over  the  fruit,  when 
Marie  said,  "I  guess  I  won't  be  able  to 
come  and  help  you  much  longer." 

"Why  not?"  Delia  asked. 

Marie  smiled  and  said,  "I'm  going 
to  get  a  full-time  job.  I'm  not  going 
back  to  school." 

"You're  not?  But  your  mother  won't 
let  you  quit!" 

"Yes,  she  will.  She  said  if  I  finished 
Junior  High  I  could  get  a  job." 

"But  you're  so  young.  You're  just 
a  baby."  Coleen  seemed  much  more 
than  three  years  older  than  this  child, 
a  hundred  times  more  mature  and 
wise  though  she,  too,  seemed  young 
.  .  .  young.  .  .  . 

"Why,  lots  of  my  friends  are  doing 
it.  My  best  friend  ran  away  and  got  a 
job  last  week.  Her  folks  didn't  care 
once  they  got  used  to  the  idea.  She 
was  a  week  younger  than  me." 

"And  you're  fifteen." 

"Uh-huh." 


Delia's  heart  ached  at  the  thought. 
But  what  else  was  there  for  them  to 
do  with  no  real  homes,  no  love,  no  se- 
curity? 

Suddenly  Delia  recalled  Coleen's 
words  as  she  left  the  room,  "We  plan 
to  get  married  in  September."  Then, 
with  a  tug  of  real  sadness  she  remem- 
bered the  little  sob  and,  "Why'd  you 
have  to  go  and  spoil  it  all?" 

She  had  never  been  able  to  bear 
seeing  Coleen  unhappy  and  to  hear 
her  cry,  which  she  seldom  did,  was  al- 
most more  than  she  could  bear. 

How  lucky  she  had  been,  how  good 
her  life,  her  home,  the  things  she 
had  been  able  to  give  her  children. 
Thank  God  for  it  all,  for  the  fact 
that  Coleen  had  found  such  a  good 
boy — religious,  eager  to  love  and 
cherish  her;  intelligent,  clean.  They 
worked  on,  saying  little. 

She  dried  her  hands  on  the  towel 
above  the  sink  and  said,  "I'll  run  up 
and  change  my  dress.  Then  I'll  drive 
you  home.  I  know  it's  quite  a  dis- 
tance." 

"Gee,  Mrs.  Walsh,  that's  swell. 
You've  been  real  nice  to  me." 

Delia  touched  her  cheek,  "I  wish 
I  could  have  done  more  ...  I  wish 
.  .  ."  she  turned  away,  choked  with 
emotion. 

On  her  way  back  from  taking  Marie 
home,  Delia  stopped  in  town,  went 
swiftly  into  The  Palace  department 
store.  She  didn't  have  much  time  as 
she  must  hurry  back  and  get  dinner. 
But  there  was  something  she  wanted 
to  see. 

It  took  her  longer  than  she  had 
expected,  and  she  saw  Coleen  going 
upstairs  as  she  came  in.  Perhaps  she 
was  deliberately  trying  to  avoid  her. 
Delia  waited  until  she  was  sure  she 
was  in  her  room.  Then  she  went 
upstairs,  too. 

She  knocked  lightly  on  the  closed 
door.    Coleen  asked,  "What  is  it?" 

"I'd  like  to  talk  to  you." 

"Come  in." 

As  she  entered,  she  saw  the  girl's 
reflection  in  her  dressing  table  mir- 
ror; her  eyes  were  dark  and  sad.  Be- 
fore her  mother  could  speak,  she  said, 
"I'm  sorry  I  spoke  the  way  I  did, 
Mother.  We  really  wouldn't  go 
ahead  without  yours  and  Daddy's  ap- 
proval. But  ...  I  wish  you  would  see 
it  our  way." 

Delia  smiled,  "Well,  honey,  as  I  was 
saying  to  your  father  the  other  night, 
everything  has  its  time.  If  you  feel 
that  you're  ready,  we  don't  want  to 
stand  in  your  way.  The  only  thing 
(Concluded  on  page  660) 
THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


.O^f^SUf 


Pioneers  are  people 
who  do  the  impossible ! 


The  first  Pioneers  arrived  in  Utah  with  warn- 
ings ringing  in  their  ears.  Experienced  mountain 
men  had  told  them  they  were  attempting  an 
impossible  task.  The  desert  would  never  feed 
them — Indians  would  destroy  them. 

Through  faith,  planning  and  hard  work  the 
Pioneers  accomplished  the  impossible.  They 
made  the  desert  bloom.  They  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  the  thriving,  growing  Utah  of  today. 

A  half  century  later,  when  pioneer  mining 
men  looked  at  a  mountain  in  Bingham  Canyon 
and  visualized  a  great  copper  mine,  they  too  were 
warned.  Experienced  mining  men  said  it  was 
impossible — that  two  percent  ore  could  not  be 
mined  and  processed  successfully — but  again 
the  impossible  was  accomplished  and  a  "worth- 


less"  mountain   became  the  world's   largest 
single  source  of  copper. 

The  pioneering  that  established  this  great 
copper  mine  has  been  continued  without  inter- 
ruption to  the  present  day.  Over  the  years  the 
copper  content  of  the  ore  has  dropped,  until  today 
it  averages  less  than  1%.  To  meet  this  challenge, 
Kennecott  has  pioneered  new  and  better  methods 
of  recovering  the  everlasting  metal. 

As  a  result,  the  "impossible"  copper  mine  is 
still  the  world's  greatest  producer. 

By  following  the  pioneer  tradition  of  meet- 
ing problems  with  faith,  planning  and  hard 
work,  Kennecott  is  still  building  for  the  future 
— for  continued  copper  production  that  means 
much  to  the  prosperity  of  Utah  and  its  people. 


Kennecott  Copper  Corporation 

TM  ij  «"-,"""'■"-  -ii  ..iiaiiiniiyiiiiiii.ini    -i    i        in  i  ,.-—,,„,,. :     ■   .:   ii.m,ii...ii„i,-,.iiiiii,i.,l;.i»,i,.„,;l.1    -n         ,a„M 

"A   Good  Neighbor  Helping  to  Build  a  Better  Utah" 
SEE    FIRST    RUN    FEATURE    PICTURES    ON    KENNECOTT    NEIGHBORHOOD    THEATER,    FRIDAY    NIGHTS    AT    9    P.M.,    KUTV-2 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


659 


.c   -  ~~    .  „  -  :~i. 


■  Mb  &jZ? 


$ 


.  .   FIT     FDR     A     BRIDE 


Ueseret    News    1  ress    oners 
0  weddino   invitation    printino   service    jit 

for  the  most  discriminating  bride.  A 
wide  variety  o|  styles  and  cards  are 
available  to  add  trie  perfect  toucn  to 
•q    girl  s    most    important    event. 


xesere\ 


res; 


31    RICHARDS   STREET  SALES   OFFICE    -    PHONE   EM  4-2581  SALT  LAKE   CITY,   UTAH 


Getting  ihemls  half  the -fun  / 


See  your  Cunord-outhorizeii  Travel  Agent  and  .  .  . 


<&  CUNARO 


QUEEN  ELIZABETH  •  QUEEN  MARY  •  MAURETANIA  •  CARONIA  •  BRITANNIC 
MEDIA  •  PARTHIA  •  CARINTHIA  •  IVERNIA  •  SAXONIA  •  FRANCONIA  •  SCYTHIA  •  ASCANIA 


The  Bride  Wore  lace 

(Concluded  from    page  658) 
we've  ever  wanted  is  your  complete 
happiness." 

"Oh,  Mother  .  .  .  you  mean?"  there 
was  a  different  sob  in  the  girl's  voice 
now,  and  her  eyes  were  alight  again. 

"Yes,  dear,  and  I've  just  looked  at 
the  most  exquisite  piece  of  lace.  We'll 
go  down  and  see  it  tomorrow." 

The  girl  rose,  twirled  around,  cry- 
ing, "And  the  papers  will  all  say, 
'The  bride  wore  white  chantilly  lace 
over  duchess  satin,  with  a  four  yard 
train  .  .  .  and  everything.'  " 

"And  everything,"  repeated  her 
mother,  reaching  out  her  arms. 


660 


President  J.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr. 
Attains  85  Years 

(Concluded  from  page   624) 
social    life.      It   was   here   in  Mexico 
that  he  worked  out  the  outline  and 
material  which  has  become  the  book 
Man,  God's  Greatest  Miracle. 

When  his  son,  J.  Reuben  Clark, 
III,  was  on  a  mission,  President  Clark 
wrote  him  a  series  of  letters  on  the 
Holy  Ghost.  These  found  their  way 
into  the  columns  of  the  Millennial 
Star. 

Called  by  President  Heber  J.  Grant 
into  the  First  Presidency  at  the  April 
1933  general  conference,  President 
Clark  has  served  three  Presidents  of 
the  Church  as  a  Counselor:  President 
Grant,  President  George  Albert  Smith, 
and  President  McKay.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  First  Presidency 
over  twenty-three  years — longer  than 
anyone  has  held  this  high  office  in 
this  dispensation. 

After  spending  a  full  day  at  the 
office,  he  goes  home  to  work  in  his 
library  of  religious  materials  at  home. 
His  latest  book,  Why  the  King  James 
Version,  as  well  as  On  the  Way  to 
Immortality  and  Eternal  Life,  and 
Our  Lord  of  the  Gospels  were  writ- 
ten during  his  evenings  at  home. 

It  hardly  seems  possible  that  Presi- 
dent Clark  is  eighty-five  this  Septem- 
ber 1.  But  looking  at  it  another  way, 
he  has  accomplishments  that  it 
would  take  an  average  person  many 
lifetimes  of  "four  score  plus  five"  to 
duplicate. 

The  Era  family,  its  editors  and 
subscribers,  take  this  opportunity  to 
join  President  Clark's  ever-widening 
circle  of  friends  to  say  "many  happy 
returns  of  the  day." 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


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chambers.  You  get  a  'new  high'  in  octane,  too!" 


The  PROVED  Power  Benefits  of 


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2.  TCP  gives  you  extra  gas  mileage. 

3.  TCP  ups  spark-plug  life  as  much 
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4.  TCP  is  just  like  an  engine  tune-up. 


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A  Great  Caring 


(Concluded  from  page  625) 
to   it.    The  factors  responsible  for   a 
child's  bad  behavior   are  difficult   to 
identify  and  explain.    They  are  end- 
less. 

Most  important  perhaps  is  the  home 
that  fails  to  provide  love,  understand- 
ing, and  guidance.  And  since  whole- 
some, beautiful  family  life  may  be 
found  in  the  homes  of  wealthy  and 
poor  alike,  perhaps  the  answer  to  de- 
creasing our  heartaches — to  showing 
that  we  really  care — lies  in  a  re- 
evaluation  of  ourselves! 

President  Joseph  F.  Smith,  in  an 
editorial  in  The  Improvement  Era 
many  years  ago,  placed  the  responsi- 
bility on  the  parents  in  these  words: 
"Not  one  child  in  a  hundred  would 
go  astray,  if  the  home  environment, 
example,  and  training,  were  in  har- 
mony with  the  truth  in  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  as  revealed  and  taught  to 
the  Latter-day  Saints.  Fathers  .  and 
Mothers,  you  are  largely  to  blame  for 
the  infidelity  and  indifference  of  your 
children.  You  can  remedy  the  evil  by 
earnest    worship,    example,    training, 

and  discipline  in  the  home."* 

. * 

*Gospel   Doctrine,   p.   302. 


662 


Experiences  in  Research 

(Concluded  from  page  635) 
felt  I  should  go  personally  and  look 
through  them.  Unless  one  is  on 
special  business  the  wills  are  not  given 
to  him,  so  I  asked  the  woman  at  the 
desk  to  check  the  files,  which  she  did, 
but  found  nothing.  I  turned  to  leave 
and  as  I  did  so,  my  eyes  fell  on  an 
old  brown  book  lying  on  a  table. 
When  I  opened  it,  I  noticed  that  it 
contained  .  lists  of  names,  first  and 
last,  and  numbers  like  references.  I 
turned  through  it,  and  on  about  the 
second  page,  second  from  the  top  was 
Anna  Susanna  Jacobse.  I  went  back 
to  the  woman  and  asked  her  what  the 
book  was,  and  she  said  they  were  old 
wills  which  were  kept  in  the  vault 
downstairs.  I  asked  her  if  I  could 
see  the  one  numbered  348/1876,  and 
she  said  if  I  wanted  to  go  into  the 
vault  I  was  welcome.  I  did  so,  hop- 
ing the  writing  had  not  faded.  I 
opened  an  old  dusty  book  to  the 
number,  and  there  was  her  name  with 
the  parents,  children,  dates  of  birth 
and  death,  husband,  and  places.  I 
was  able  to  trace  on  this  line  for 
six  more  generations,  making  a  total 
of  eleven  generations. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


lo  Make  a  Home 

(Continued  from  page  634) 

mother  is.  She's  a  wonderful  cook — 
but  she  doesn't  make  a  life  work  of 
just  keeping  house."  Martha  empha- 
sized the  word  house.  "Of  course," 
she  added,  "Mrs.  Schultz  is  a  won- 
derful housekeeper — "  Her  -voice 
trailed  off  as  though  she  had  in  mind 
to  say  more  but  decided   against   it. 

By  this  time  the  car  had  arrived 
at  the  Schultz  home.  The  little  group 
marched  up  the  front  walk,  Mary  and 
Martha  in  front  and  the  two  children 
bringing  up  a  very  subdued  rear. 
Waiting  for  them,  seated  in  a  row  on 
the  top  step  to  the  veranda,  sat  the 
twins,  Lester  and  Chester,  and  little 
Debbie.  They  rose  politely  as  Martha 
introduced  Mary  to  them.  Helen 
came  out  to  greet  the  guests  and  soon 
had  the  children  playing  cheerfully 
on  the  lawn,  having  promised  to  call 
them  in  when  refreshments  were 
served. 

Mary  liked  Helen  Ferris  imme- 
diately. She  was  friendly  and  in- 
terested in  making  the  newcomer  to 
the  town  feel  at  home.  It  was  she 
who  showed  Mary  through  the  house. 
Mary  was  entranced — everything  was 
so  orderly,  so  clean,  so  perfect  of  its 
kind.  Lovely  old  walnut  furniture 
gleamed;  needlepoint  chairs  and 
hand-crocheted  bedspreads,  crystal 
and  silver  pieces  in  the  dining  room, 
chrome  in  the  kitchen — everything 
was  there  to  make  a  home  lovelv  and 
desirable. 

When  Mary  exclaimed  over  the 
beauty  of  the  rooms,  Helen  said,  "Yes, 
this  has  been  Mother's  life.  Nothing 
has  ever  meant  so  much  to  her  as 
having  her  home  perfectly  kept.  Now 
as  for  me,"  she  added  laughingly, 
"I'll  settle  for  a  little  less  order  and 
a  little  more  fun  in  living.  Mother 
really  isn't  strong  enough  to  keep  this 
house;  I  do  hope  she  will  let  someone 
come  in  to  help  her.  She  never  has 
been  willing  to  have  anyone  else  do 
the  work,  but  she  really  needs  help." 

They  were  halfway  down  the  stairs 
when  a  succession  of  screams  from 
the  lawn  reached  them.  Helen  was 
out  the  front  door  in  seconds,  fol- 
lowed closely  by  Martha,  Mary,  and 
Mrs.  Schultz.  Beneath  the  big  maple 
tree  on  the  lawn  lay  the  inert  form 
of  Lester;  over  him  stood  Harvey.  The 
two  little  girls  stood  together,  scream- 
ing at  the  tops  of  their  voices.  The 
other  twin  looked  down  in  horror  on 

(Continued  on  following  page) 
SEPTEMBER  1956 


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To  Make  a  Home 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 
the  scene  from  the  first  branch  of  the 
tree,  sobbing  uncontrollably. 

Helen  reached  the  injured  boy  first. 


"Get  some  water  from   the  house!" 
she  ordered  Harvey.  "Quick!" 

The  others  stood  in  silence  as  Helen 
knelt    over    her    silent    son.     Before 


<<N>^>>>^s>5v5n5v3\Jv>^JOS>^3\^OV^^^ 


approac 


h  to  the  Safet 


v 


pWi 


\em 


Richard  L.  Evans 


"WTith  increasing  carnage  on  the  highways  and  elsewhere, 
"*  it  would  seem  that  we  need  a  new  approach  to  the 
problem  of  safety.  And  so  we  suggest  a  consideration  of 
safety  not  merely  as  a  matter  of  statistics — not  safety  merely 
as  a  matter  of  mechanics — but  safety  as  a  God-given  right — 
safety  as  a  moral  principle.  "In  the  beginning,"  we  read  in 
the  first  book  of  the  Bible,  "God  created  the  heaven  and  the 
earth  .  .  .  and  God  said,  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image."1  It 
is  a  great  and  blessed  privilege  to  be  made  in  the  image  of 
God.  It  is  a  great  and  blessed  privilege  to  be  alive  on  earth. 
It  is  a  great  and  blessed  privilege  to  have  a  sound  body,  a 
sound  mind,  and  unimpaired  physical  faculties.  It  is  a  great 
and  blessed  privilege  to  live  with  the  association  of  loved 
ones,  with  the  privilege  of  seeking  knowledge  with  freedom, 
of  enjoying  other  people,  of  developing,  creating,  learning, 
and  living  life  to  its  full  normal  limits,  with  full  possession  of 
physical  and  mental  powers,  unimpaired  by  injury  or  acci- 
dent. True,  this  isn't  all  the  life  there  is.  The  Lord  God 
has  given  us  the  assurance  of  everlasting  life.  But  quite 
apart  from  these  limitless,  eternal  promises  and  possibilities, 
every  man  has  the  right  to  the  enjoyment  of  "life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness"  here- — and  no  man  has  the 
right,  by  any  thoughtlessness,  by  any  dulling  of  his  senses, 
by  any  carelessness  of  conduct,  or  by  any  cause  of  incompe- 
tence, to  impair  another  person  or  to  take  from  him  any  part 
of  his  opportunities  on  earth,  or  any  part  of  his  mental  or 
physical  faculties.  In  short,  it  is  a  crime  carelessly  to  con- 
tribute to  the  impairment  of  another  person.  It  is  a  crime 
to  take  unjustly  from  anyone  what  we  can't  restore — and 
certainly  we  cannot  restore  one  year  or  one  hour  of  a  man's 
life,  or  repay  him  in  any  real  way  for  pain,  for  physical 
impairment,  for  anguish  and  anxiety.  Who  can  calculate 
the  loss  of  a  father's  association  with  his  sons — or  of  a 
mother's  loneliness  in  the  burden  of  carrying  a  load  alone? 
Who  can  calculate  the  loss  to  a  child  who  must  lead  a 
crippled  or  impaired  life?  Who  can  calculate  in  any  real 
way  the  loss  of  the  full  living  of  life  or  the  loss  of  physical 
function?  If  all  of  us  would  only  remember  that  all  of  us 
are  sent  here  for  a  glorious  purpose,  by  Him  who  made  us 
in  His  image,  to  live  out  in  fulness  and  richness  the  years 
that  God  has  given,  we  would  be  less  careless  about  those 
things  which  might  take  from  us,  or  from  others,  the  full 
and  wonderful  living  of  life  with  loved  ones.  God  help  us 
to  impress  upon  ourselves,  and  upon  every  other  person, 
that  safety  is  a  moral  principle  as  well  as  a  physical  prob- 
lem— and  that  the  carnage  of  carelessness  is  a  crime! 

Uke    S^pohen      lAJofd  FROM  TEMPLE  SQUARE 

PRESENTED  OVER  KSL  AND  THE  COLUMBIA  BROADCASTING 

SYSTEM,  JULY  8,   1956 

Copyright    1956 


664 


Genesis    1:1,  26. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Harvey  was  back,  Lester  moved, 
opened  his  eyes,  and  tried  to  sit  up. 

"Better  lie  still,  dear,"  Helen  cau- 
tioned.   "How  do  you  feel?" 

"Okay,  Mom." 

"Don't  you  hurt  anywhere?" 

"No.    Where's  Chester?" 

"He's  still  up  in  the  tree.  He's 
coming  down  now." 

Harvey  returned  with  a  cup  of 
water.  Helen  dampened  her  hand- 
kerchief in  it  and  swabbed  Lester's 
face  and  neck.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
was  sitting  up,  talking,  trying  to  tell 
what  happened.  His  mother  quieted 
him  and  asked  Chester  to  tell. 

"We  had  a  contest,"  he  said.  "Les- 
ter said  he  always  could  climb  higher 
than  I  could,  and  I  said  I  could  climb 
higher  than  he  can.  He  was  going  up 
first,  and  he  fell  from  'way  up  there." 

"Don't  you  know  you're  not  sup- 
posed to  climb  trees?"  Mrs.  Schultz 
demanded. 

"Mother  didn't  say  we  couldn't 
climb  trees,"  Chester  answered.  "We 
climb  trees  at  home  all  the  time.  We 
didn't  know  we  couldn't  climb  trees 
here." 


"Well,"  Mrs.  Schultz  persisted,  "I 
certainly  don't  want  you  climbing 
trees  here.  Just  look  what  happened." 

By  this  time  Lester  was  standing 
up  and  taking  tentative  steps  in  the 
direction  of  the  house,  evidently  none 
the  worse  for  his  mishap.  Mary 
noticed  that  Helen  had  not  reproved 
the  boys  for  climbing.  As  they  ap- 
proached the  house,  Mrs.  Schultz 
said,  "Would  you  children  like  to 
have  your  refreshments  on  the  porch 
out   here?" 

Helen  spoke  up  quickly,  "Yes,  let 
them.  Then  there  won't  be  any  spills 
on  the  rugs." 

As  the  women  went  into  the  house, 
Mrs.  Schultz  said  to  Helen,  "You 
should  tell  those  children  not  to  climb. 
Children  are  always  getting  hurt  that 
way." 

"Mother,"  Helen  answered,  "they 
can't  be  kept  from  trying  their 
strength.  Of  course  they  get  hurt 
sometimes,  but  they  learn  as  they 
grow.  All  my  life  I  wanted  to  climb 
that  tree,  but  I  never  did  try.  I'm 
glad  my  boys  tried  it.  Their  father 
will  be,  too." 

Mrs.  Schultz  said  nothing,  but  her 


disapproval  was  evident  in  the  slight 
toss  of  her  head  as  she  went  toward 
the  kitchen  to  prepare  the  refresh- 
ments. 

That  night  Mary  was  very  quiet. 
John  noticed  it  but  said  nothing, 
knowing  that  sooner  or  later  her  ex- 
periences would  be  related.  They 
were  eating  dessert  when  she  began 
to  talk.    The  whole  story  came  out. 

"They  don't  go  to  their  grand- 
mother's because  they  aren't  happy 
there  when  they  go.  The  house  is  too 
nice  to  be  lived  in  by  a  family.  There's 
no  freedom  to  live.  Why,  Helen  grew 
up  all  held  in  by  laws  of  'don't  do 
this  and  don't  do  that.'  Now  she's 
happy,  and  she  wants  her  children 
to  be  happy.  And  what  was  it  all 
for?  Just  to  grow  old.  I  just  don't 
want  my  life  to  be  like  that." 

"It  won't,"  said  John,  "now." 

"You  were  afraid  it  was  going  to, 
weren't  you,  John?  Well,  you  needn't 
be.  We're  going  to  have  a  home  for 
our  children — not  just  a  house." 

She  jumped  up  from  the  table. 
"Come  on,"  she  said,  "let's  let  the 
dishes  wait  and  go  out  to  watch  the 
sunset!" 


"WORDS  off  PRAISE"  CONTEST 


"ODH? 


TO 


for  TWO 


Picture  yourself  sightseeing  in  London 
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sightseeing  trips  in  the  new  exciting  "Words 
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New  all-purpose  PRAISE  is  a  premium 
dressing  ...  a  rare  blend  of  the  best  in 
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Buy  a  jar  of  PRAISE  today.  Enter  this 
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grocers. 


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1.  Buy  a  jar  of  PRAISE,  delightful,  all-purpose 
dressing  for  salads  and  sandwiches. 

2.  Try  PRAISE  on  salads,  sandwiches,  or  in 
sauces,  and  then  complete  this  sentence,  in 
25  words  or  less:  "I  like  PRAISE  because  . . ." 

3.  Enter  as  many  times  as  you  wish.  With  each 
entry,  include  the  trip  to  Europe  tab  on  the 
label  from  a  jar  of  PRAISE. 

4.  Send  your  "WORDS  OF  PRAISE"  entries  to 
PRAISE,  c/o  Nalley  Valley,  Tacoma,  Wash. 

5.  All  entries  must  be  postmarked  on  or  before 
midnight,  September  30,  1956. 


6.  This  regional  contest  is  limited  to  residents  of 
the  states  of  Oregon,  Utah,  Idaho,  Nevada, 
Wyoming  and  Washington . . .  except  employees 
of  Nalley's  and  their  advertising  agencies  and 
families.  Prize  may  be  transferred. 

7.  Entries  will  be  judged  on  the  basis  of  sincerity, 
originality,  neatness  and  aptness  of  thought. 
Judges'  decision  will  be  final.  All  entries  be- 
come the  property  of  Nalley's,  Inc.  No  entries 
can  be  acknowledged  or  returned. 

8.  Name  of  your  grocer 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


665 


The  Twelve  Apostles 


The  Apostolic  Calling 

First — General  Statement  Regard- 
ing Duties  of  the  Apostles: 

Apostles  in  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  are 
called  upon  to  perform  a  multi- 
tude of  tasks;  however,  their  princi- 
pal assignments  may  be  listed  under 
the  following  headings:  first,  bearing 
witness  of  Jesus  Christ;  second,  pro- 
claiming the  everlasting  gospel  at 
home  and  abroad;  and  third,  building 
up  and  regulating  the  Church.  These 
assignments  are  all  fulfilled  under  the 
direction  of  the  First  Presidency. 
President  Joseph  Fielding  Smith  made 
the  following  statement  regarding  the 
calling  of  the  apostles: 

The  true  calling  of  the  apostles  of  ]esus 
Christ  is  to  hold  the  fulness  of  the  priest- 
hood and  to  proclaim  the  gospel  in  all  the 
world.  They  hold  the  keys,  to  open  the 
door  by  the  proclamation  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ.1 

Second — Modern  Revelation  Re- 
garding Duties  of  the  Apostles: 

In  modern  revelation  the  Lord  out- 
lined the  work  and  duties  of  the 
apostles  as  follows: 

The  twelve  traveling  councilors  are  called 
to  be  the  Twelve  Apostles,  or  special  wit- 
nesses of  the  name  of  Christ  in  all  the 
world — thus  differing  from  other  officers  in 
the  church  and  in  the  duties  of  their  call- 
ing. 

And  they  form  a  quorum,  equal  in  au- 
thority and  power  to  the  three  presidents 
previously  mentioned  [the  First  Presi- 
dency]. .  .  . 

The  Twelve  are  a  Traveling  Presiding 
High  Council,  to  officiate  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  under  the  direction  of  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  Church,  agreeable  to  the  in- 
stitution of  heaven;  to  build  up  the  church, 
and  regulate  all  the  affairs  of  the  same  in 
all  nations,  first  unto  the  Gentiles  and  sec- 
ondly unto  the  Jews.  .  .  . 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  Twelve,  also,  to  or- 
dain and  set  in  order  all  the  other  officers 
of  the  church,  agreeable  to  the  revela- 
tion. .  .  .2 


Third — Apostles  and  Special  Wit- 
nesses of  Jesus  Christ: 

The  twelve  men  who  constitute  the 
Council  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  in 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints  are  endowed  with  the 
power  and  responsibility  to  serve  as 
special  witnesses  of  Jesus  Christ.  It 
is  their  privilege  to  have  the  inspira- 
tion and  necessary  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  fit  and  qualify  them 
for  this  important  mission.  In  the 
words  of  President  Joseph  Fielding 
Smith: 

All  men  may,  by  virtue  of  the  priesthood 
and  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  become 
witnesses  for  Christ.  In  fact,  that  is  just 
what  every  elder  in  the  Church  should  be, 
but  there  is  a  special  calling  which  is  given 
to  the  Twelve  special  witnesses  that  sepa- 
rates them  from  the  other  elders  of  the 
Church  in  the  nature  of  their  calling  as 
witnesses.  These  twelve  men  hold  the  ful- 
ness of  authority,  keys,  and  priesthood,  to 
open  up  the  way  for  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  to  every  nation,  kindred,  and  ton- 
gue. Others  who  go  forth  go  under  their 
direction  and  are  subject  to  them.  This 
work  of  proselyting  is  in  their  hands,  and 
under  the  council  of  the  First  Presidency 
they  are  called  upon  to  conduct  all  the  af- 
fairs of  the  Church  and  the  preaching  of 
the   gospel  to   every   creature.3 

Quorum  of  the  Twelve  Apostles 

First — The  Number   of  Apostles: 

When  Jesus  Christ  was  upon  the 
earth   in    the   Meridian   of  Time  he 


"Smith,   op.   cit.,   vol.   3,    p.    146. 


xJoseph   Fielding  Smith,  Doctrines  of  Salvation,  vol. 
3,   p.    144;   D  &  C   112:21;    124:128. 

-Ibid.,   107:23-24,  33,  58. 

666 


CORRECTION 

A  serious  error  appears  on  the  Mel- 
chizedek  Priesthood  pages  of  the  August 
issue.  The  fifth  line  of  the  third  para- 
graph on  page  592  is  entirely  out  of 
place.  With  the  correct  line  (which  we 
now  italicize)  that  paragraph  should 
read: 

Priesthood  contains  the  sealing  power 
of  all  of  the  gospel  ordinances;  thus 
all  contracts,  ordinances,  and  blessings 
which  are  sealed  upon  Church  members 
must  be  done  through  the  priesthood 
and  sanctified  through  the  sealing  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  Promise. 


called  and  ordained  twelve  men  to 
the  position  of  apostles.  They  con- 
stituted the  Quorum  or  Council  of 
the  Twelve.4 

In  setting  up  his  kingdom  in  the 
latter  days,  the  Lord  through  special 
revelation  has  designated  that  there 
should  be  twelve  men  upon  whom  the 
apostleship  is  conferred,  and  these 
men  constitute  a  quorum  known  as 
the  Council  of  the  Twelve.  This 
body  is  the  second  quorum  in  the 
priesthood,  equal  in  authority  but 
subservient  to  the  First  Presidency, 
which  constitutes  the  first  quorum  of 
the  priesthood  in  the  Church. 

In  addition  to  the  twelve  men  who 
constitute  the  Council  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles,  the  President  of  the  Church 
is  always  an  apostle.  As  was  pointed 
out  in  the  August  1956  Era,  the  two 
Counselors  in  the  First  Presidency 
may  or  may  not  be  apostles.  At  the 
present  time,  however,  both  of  them 
are  apostles;  thus  fifteen  ordained 
apostles  are  in  the  Church.  It  should 
be  kept  in  mind  that  the  Quorum  of 
the  Twelve  would  always  be  limited 
to  twelve  men  unless  the  Lord  him- 
self changed  the  order. 

Second — President  of  the  Quorum 
of  the  Twelve: 

According  to  the  date  of  his  ordina- 
tion, the  senior  member  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  Twelve  not  only  serves  as 
a  member  of  the  Quorum  of  the 
Twelve,  but  he  is  also  set  apart  as 
President  of  the  Council  of  the 
Twelve,  and  he  officiates  in  that 
capacity.  He  is  set  apart  to  that  posi- 
tion by  the  President  of  the  Church 
or  under  the  direction  of  the  Presi- 
dent. 

It  is  he  who,  with  the  approval  of 
the  First  Presidency,  directs  much  of 
the  work  of  the  various  General  Au- 
thorities. He  presides  over  and  con- 
ducts all  meetings  of  the  Council 
over  which  he  presides,  as  well  as 
the  meetings  which  other  General 
Authorities  attend  which  are  not  at- 
tended by  the  First  Presidency.  In 
case  of  his  absence,  the  next  apostle 
in  seniority  present  presides  over  and 
conducts  the  meeting. 


''Mark    3:14. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Priesthood 


Third — Apostles  as  Prophets,  Seers, 
and  Revelators: 

Members  of  the  Quorum  of  the 
Twelve  through  revelation  from  the 
Lord  have  been  called  and  ordained 
to  be  prophets,  seers,  and  revelators 
to  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day Saints.  They  are  sustained 
by  the  body  of  the  Church  at  various 
conferences  to  those  positions  or  call- 
ings. In  regard  to  this  subject  Presi- 
dent Joseph  Fielding  Smith  has 
written: 

The  Twelve  Apostles  have  been  sustained 
as  prophets,  seers,  and  revelators,  ever  since 
the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the  Kirtland 
Temple.  There  is  only  one  man  at  a  time 
who  holds  the  keys  of  revelation  for  the 
Churchy  The  Twelve  Apostles  may  receive 
revelation  to  guide  them  in  their  labors  and 
to  assist  them  in  setting  in  order  priesthood 
and  organizations  of  the  Church.  When 
they  are  sent  out  into  a  stake  by  authority, 
they  have  all  the  power  to  receive  revela- 
tion, to  make  changes,  and  to  conduct  the 
affairs  according  to  the  will  of  the  Lord. 
But  they  do  not  receive  revelations  for  the 
guidance  of  the  whole  Church,  only  where- 
in one  of  them  may  succeed  to  the  Presi- 
dency. In  other  words  the  right  to  receive 
revelation  and  guidance  to  the  whole  Church 
is  vested  in  each  of  the  Twelve  which  he 
could  exercise  should  he  succeed  to  the 
Presidency.  But  this  power  is  dormant 
while  the  President  of  the  Church  is  liv- 
ing.0 


Fourth- 
Priests: 


-Apostles  Are  Always  High 


President  Joseph  Fielding  Smith 
makes  it  clear  that  apostles  are  al- 
ways high  priests.     To  quote: 

All  of  the  apostles  are  high  priests  and 
are  so  ordained.  They  belong  to  a  quorum 
of  high  priests  separate  and  distinct  from 
the  high  priests  quorum  in  a  stake.  The 
First  Presidency  is  a  presidency  of  the  high 
priests,  as  stated  in  the  revelation,  and  since 
every  apostle  has  the  priesthood  and  keys 
to  enable  him  to  serve  as  presidency  of  the 
Church,  he  necessarily  must  be  a  high 
priest.7 

Sixth — Apostles  and  the  Keys  of  the 
Kingdom: 

Shortly  before  his  death,  the 
Prophet  Joseph  Smith  bestowed  upon 
the  Twelve  Apostles  all  the  keys  and 
ordinances  and  priesthood  necessary 

r'D    &    C   43:3-7. 

GSmith,   op.  at'.,  vol.   3,  pp.   156-157. 

'•Ibid.,    vol.    3,    p.    157. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


for  them  to  carry  on  the  great  work 
of  building  up  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  bringing  to  pass  the  salvation 
of  the  human  family.  In  reference 
to  this  event,  Elder  Orson  Hyde, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  Quorum  of 
the  Twelve  at  that  time,  said: 

Before  I  went  east  on  the  4th  of  April 
[1844  J  last,  we  were  in  council  with  Brother 
Joseph  almost  every  day  for  weeks;  said 
Brother  Joseph  in  one  of  those  councils, 
"There  is  something  going  to  happen;  I 
don't  know  what  it  is,  but  the  Lord  bids 
me  to  hasten  and  give  you  your  endow- 
ment before  the  temple  is  finished."  He 
conducted  us  through  every  ordinance  of  the 
holy  priesthood,  and  when  he  had  gone 
through  with  all  of  the  ordinances,  he  re- 
joiced very  much,  and  said,  "Now  if  they 
kill  me,  you  have  got  all  the  keys,  anq\  all 
the  ordinances,  and  you  can  confer  them 
upon  others,  and  the  host  of  Satan  will  not 
be  able  to  tear  down  the  kingdom  as  fast 
as  you  will  be  able  to  build  it  up";  and  now, 
said  he,  "On  your  shoulders  will  the 
responsibility   of  leading   this  people   rest."8 

Another  member  of  the  Quorum 
of  the  Twelve,  Elder  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff, remarked  as  follows  in  regard 
to  this  subject: 

They  [the  Twelve]  received  their  endow- 
ment [s],  and  actually  received  the  keys  to 
the  kingdom  of  God,  and  oracles  of  God, 
keys  of  revelation,  and  the  pattern  of  heaven- 
ly things;  and  thus  addressing  the  Twelve 
[Joseph]  exclaimed,  "Upon  your  shoulders 
the  kingdom  rests,  and  you  must  round 
up  your  shoulders  and  bear  it,  for  I  have 
had  to  do  it  until  now."" 

A  third  testimony  bearing  witness 
to  the  foregoing  facts  comes  to  us 
from  Sister  Bathsheba  W.  Smith,  the 
wife  of  Elder  George  A.  Smith,  one 
of  the  members  of  the  Quorum  of  the 
Twelve  to  whom  these  keys  were 
given.     Her  testimony  is  as  follows: 

In  the  year  1844,  a  short  time  before  the 
death  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  it  was 
my  privilege  to  attend  the  regular  prayer 
circle  meeting  in  the  upper  room  over  the 
Prophet's  store.  There  were  present  at  this 
meeting  most  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  their 
wives  and  a  number  of  prominent  brethren 
and  their  wives.  On  that  occasion  the 
Prophet  arose  and  spoke  at  great  length,  and 
during  his  remarks  I  heard  him  say  that  he 
had  conferred  upon  the  heads  of  the  Twelve 
Apostles  all  the  keys  and  power  pertaining 
to  the  priesthood,  and  that  upon  the  heads 


8Orson   Hyde,   Times   and  Seasons,   vol.   5,    p.   651. 
"Wilford    Woodruff,    Times   and   Seasons,    vol.    5,    p. 
698. 


of  the  Twelve  Apostles  the  burden  of  the 
kingdom  rested,  and  that  they  would  have 
to  carry  it.10 

As  has  been  pointed  out,  the 
Twelve  Apostles  have  been  given  the 
keys  to  the  priesthood  and  the  keys 
to  the  kingdom  of  God.  They  are 
functioning  in  their  positions  as  apos- 
tles under  the  direction  of  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  Church,  which  Presi- 
dency is  actively  in  possession  and 
use  of  the  keys  of  the  priesthood; 
however,  when  the  President  of  the 
Church  dies,  the  Twelve  Apostles  are 
the  rightful  heirs  and  possessors  of 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom,  and  the 
priesthood,  and  are  fully  authorized  to 
carry  forward  all  of  the  work  of  God 
here  upon  the  earth  pertaining  to  the 
great  program  of  the  Church. 

As  was  pointed  out  in  the  July, 
1956,  Era,  it  is  through  the  power, 
calling,  and  appointment  that  this 
body  of  God's  chosen  servants  possess, 
and  under  divine  inspiration  and 
revelation,  that  a  successor  to  the 
President  of  the  Church  is  appointed, 
sustained,  and  set  apart;  and  that 
position  is  always  filled  by  the  apostle 
who  has  been  serving  as  President  of 
the  Twelve. 

Seventh — Filling  Vacancies  in  the 
Council  of  the  Twelve: 

The  selection  of  men  to  fill  vacan- 
cies in  the  Council  of  the  Twelve  is 
made  by  the  President  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
He  does  so  through  inspiration  and 
revelation  from  the  Lord.  He  is  free 
to  select  from  the  male  membership 
of  the  Church  at  large.  Regarding 
the  filling  of  vacancies  in  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  Twelve,  President  Joseph 
Fielding  Smith  has  written: 

There  is  no  set  rule  in  regard  to  the 
choosing  of  apostles.  For  instance:  The  First 
Twelve  chosen  in  this  dispensation  were 
selected  by  the  Three  Witnesses.  Others, 
both  in  the  day  of  the  Prophet  and  since 
his  day,  have  been  chosen  by  direct  revela- 
tion through  the  President  of  the  Church. 
Others  have  been  chosen  as  was  Matthias 
in  the  days  of  the  ancient  apostles.  At  other 
times,  the  members  of  the  Presidency  and 
the  Twelve  present  names  which   are  con- 

(Concluded  on  page  686) 

"'Joseph  Fielding  Smith,  The  "Reorganized"  Church 
vs.  Salvation  for  the  Dead,  pp.  7-9,  cited  in  Smith, 
op.    cit.,    p.    155. 

667 


The 


Presiding 


Study  Guide  For  Ward  Teachers 
September  1956 

To  Be  Carnally  Minded  Is  Death 

For  to  be  carnally  minded  is  death;  but  to  be  spiritually  minded  is  life  and 
peace.   (Romans  8:6.) 

In  this  one  sentence,  the  great  Apostle  Paul  has  touched  one  of  the 
most  important  laws  determining  the  welfare  of  every  person.  "Carnal" 
pertains  to  the  flesh.  It  has  to  do  with  the  physical  nature  of  man,  as  dis- 
tinguished from  his  intellectual  and  spiritual  nature.  To  be  carnally  minded, 
therefore,  is  to  occupy  the  mind  with  material,  worldly,  or  bodily  things 
which  perish,  rather  than  the  spiritual  things  leading  to  eternal  life. 

What  we  think  has  such  tremendous  importance  because  it  determines 
what  we  do,  and  what  we  become.  We  can  actually  choose  eternal  life, 
simply  by  being  "spiritually  minded."  The  famous  psychologist,  William 
James,  said,  "The  greatest  discovery  of  my  generation  is  that  one  can  change 
the  quality  of  his  life  by  changing  his  attitude  of  mind."  And  Walter  Dill 
Scott,  long-time  president  of  Northwestern  University,  said,  "Mental  attitude 
is  more  important  than  mental  capacity." 

The  mind  has  some  of  the  qualities  of  the  tendrils  of  a  clinging  vine. 
It  tends  to  attach  itself  to  what  it  is  put  in  contact  with.  If  we  put  the  mind 
in  contact  with  the  things  of  God,  we  learn  to  love  the  things  of  God,  which 
means  life  and  peace.  What  a  thrilling  idea  it  is  that  we  can  learn  to  think 
properly,  for: 

Mind  is  the  master  power 

That  builds  and  moids — 

And  mind  is  man; 

And  evermore  he  takes  the  tools  of  thought 

And  fashions  what  he  wills, 

Bringing  forth  a  thousand  joys,  a  thousand  ills; 

He  thinks  in  secret  and  it  comes  to  pass, 

Environment  is  but  his  looking  glass. 

Anon. 

What  we  think  in  secret  or  otherwise  will  also  come  to  pass.  And  we 
start  toward  spiritual  death  when  we  allow  the  seeds  of  death  to  get  a 
foothold  in  our  minds. 

How  would  you  like  to  create  your  own  mind?  But  isn't  that  just  what 
you  are  doing?  William  James  said,  "The  mind  is  made  up  by  what  it 
feeds  upon."  "The  mind,  like  the  dyer's  hand,  is  colored  by  what  it  holds." 
If  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  sponge  full  of  purple  dye,  my  hand  becomes  purple. 
And  if  I  hold  in  my  mind  carnal,  worldly,  and  sinful  thoughts,  that  is  the 
kind  of  person  I  will  become. 

The  Lord  has  said,  ".  .  .  there  are  many  called,  but  few  are  chosen. 
And  why  are  they  not  chosen?  Because  their  hearts  are  set  so  much  upon 
the  things  of  this  world.  .  .  ."  (D  &  C  121:34-35.)  Worldly  thoughts  may 
crowd  the  things  of  God  out  of  our  minds,  and  ".  .  .  every  man  receiveth 
wages  of  him  whom  he  listeth  to  obey.  .  .  ."  (Alma  3:27.)  "For  the  wages 
of  sin  is  death;  but  the  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life.  .  .  ."  (Romans  6:23.)  "For 
as  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God."  (Ibid., 
8:14.) 

INTRODUCTION  OF  STUDY  GUIDE  FOR  OCTOBER  1956 

Reverence  in  Our  Chapels 

Latter-day  Saints  should  be  reverent  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  Lord.  We 
are  expected  to  teach  our  children  to  be  reverent  in  the  home  and  in  the  Church. 
Our  chapels  are  houses  of  prayer.  We  assemble  in  these  places  of  worship  each 
Sabbath  to  partake  of  the  Sacrament  and  to  renew  our  covenants.  In  order  to  be 
in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  we  must  be  reverent. 


Think  it  over 


Would   the  boy  you   were 
follow    the    leader    you    are? 


-L.  A.  p. 


Challenging  Records 


Edward  D.  Ottinger 
Chicago  Stake 

Edward  (Eddie),  a  priest  in  the  Batavia 
(Illinois)  Branch,  Chicago  Stake,  has  the 
distinction  of  having  earned  six  individual 
Aaronic  Priesthood  awards  with  the  100 
percent  seal  affixed  to  each  one,  indicating 
a  perfect  record  of  attendance  at  priesthood 
and  Sacrament  meetings  since  he  was  or- 
dained a  deacon. 


668 


Earl  McDaniel 
San  Luis  Stake 

Earl,  a  priest  in  the  Alamosa  Ward,  San 
Luis  (Colorado)  Stake,  has  earned  five 
individual  Aaronic  Priesthood  awards,  one 
each  year  since  he  was  ordained  a  deacon. 
He  is  the  first  Aaronic  Priesthood  bearer  in 
the  stake  to  receive  the  Duty  to  God  award. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Bishoprics  Page 


Senior  Members 

Doing  More  Than  Required 
Is  Mark  of  Real  Leader 

It  has  been  well  stated  that  there  are 
but  two  kinds  of  failures  in  life,  (1) 
the  person  who  does  not  do  that  which 
he  is  instructed  to  do  by  proper  author- 
ity, (2)  the  person  who  does  only  that 
which  he  is  instructed  to  do. 

Willingness  to  follow  the  direction  of 
those  to  whom  we  are  responsible  is  a 
virtue,  and  blessings  accrue  to  all  who 
are  thus  obedient.  The  Lord,  however, 
expects  self-initiative  and  rewards,  with 
bonus  blessings,  those  who  extend 
themselves  beyond  the  regular  call  of 
duty. 

For  behold,  it  is  not  meet  that  I  should 
command  in  all  things;  for  he  that  is  com- 
pelled in  all  things,  the  same  is  a  slothful 
and  not  a  wise  servant;  wherefore  he  re- 
ceiveth  no  reward. 

Verily  I  say,  men  should  be  anxiously 
engaged  in  a  good  cause,  and  do  many 
things  of  their  own  free  will,  and  bring  to 
pass  much  righteousness.  (D  &  C  58:26-27.) 

Meeting  minimum  requirements  is 
much  better  than  neglecting  one's  duty 
entirely,  but  doing  all  that  is  expected 
and  "then  some"  is  the  mark  of  the  real 
leader. 


Ward  Teaching 

Discernment  Invaluable 
to  Ward  Teachers 

Try  to  live  so  that  there  are  no  dark 
corners  across  which  you  have  to  draw  a 
curtain,  and  try  to  put  yourself  in  a  posi- 
tion where  there  is  nothing  between  you 
and  the  Lord,  nothing  cutting  off  your 
access  to   him. 

If  you  do  so  live,  then  when  you  go  into 
the  houses  of  the  Saints,  not  alone  will  they 
welcome  you,  but  they  will  also  love  you; 
they  will  seek  your  counsel.  It  will  not 
be  necessary  for  you  to  act  as  inquisitors. 
It  will  not  be  necessary  for  you  to  put 
embarrassing  questions.  They  will  come 
to  you  for  help  in  their  troubles. 

One  of  the  great  blessings  which  you 
brethren  can  have,  who  visit  as  teachers 
or  otherwise,  is  the  blessing  of  discernment. 
It  is  a  rare  blessing.  Few  of  us  have  it  to 
any  extent.  But  discernment  is  the  spirit 
which  enables  you  or  me,  when  we  come 
into  the  presence  of  a  man  or  woman,  to 
have  the  impression  come  to  us  as  to  just 
what  kind  of  person  the  one  is  to  whom 
we  are  talking.  This  will  be  invaluable  to 
you,  as  you  can  readily  understand.  (Presi- 
dent }.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr.,  Ensign  Stake 
conference,  Nov.  1,  1952.) 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


Ward  Teachers'  Report  Meeting 

Plan  for  Better 
Attendance  Told 

Leaders  in  ward  teaching  are  anxious 
to  increase  attendance  at  ward 
teachers'  report  meeting.  One  of  the 
most  productive  methods  of  building  up 
attendance  is  frequently  overlooked. 
While  division  supervisors  are  expected 
to  notify  each  ward  teacher  of  the  time 
and  place  of  this  meeting  each  month, 
senior  ward  teaching  companions  are 
also  to  share  the  responsibility  of  as- 
sisting in  this  project. 

The     ward     teaching     plan     of     the 
Church  contemplates  that  ward  teachers 


Prepared  by  Lee  A.  Palmer 


shall  do  their  teaching  in  pairs.  It  is 
the  duty  of  senior  ward  teaching  com- 
panions to  take  the  initiative  in  ar- 
ranging the  visit,  and  since  the  obliga- 
tion of  teaching  is  not  completed  until 
the  report  has  been  made,  senior  com- 
panions should  accept  the  responsibility 
of  having  their  junior  colleagues  at- 
tend  the  report   meeting  with   them. 

If  bishops  have  not  instructed  their 
ward  teachers  accordingly,  it  is  recom- 
mended they  do  so  at  once.  If  this  pro- 
cedure is  followed,  there  will  be  no  mis- 
understandings. Senior  companions  will 
invite  their  junior  companions  to  at- 
tend this  meeting,  and  these  young  men 
will  feel  under  obligation  to  accept  the 
invitation.  Better  attendance  will  be 
the  result. 


BISHOP  PRESENTS  COMBINATIONS  FOR  PERFECT 
ATTENDANCE  RECORDS,  REDWOOD  CITY  WARD,  PALO  ALTO  STAKE 


Bishop  William  R. 
Callister  is  shown 
proudly  presenting 
to  seven  Aaronic 
Priesthood  bearers 
combinations  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon, 
Doctrine  and  Cove- 
nants, and  Pearl  of 
Great  Price,  for 
perfect  attendance 
records    for    1955. 


PERFECT  INDIVIDUAL  AWARD  SCORE  FOR  TWO  YEARS, 

WITH  NO  SENIOR  MEMBERS  OF  AARONIC  PRIESTHOOD, 

RECORD  OF  MOUNTAINVILLE  WARD,   NORTH  SANPETE    (UTAH)    STAKE 


Here  is  a  real  record:  Sixteen  Aaronic  Priesthood  members  under  21  enrolled, 
sixteen  individual  awards  for  two  years,  all  of  the  nine  priests  have  five  individual 
awards,  both  teachers  have  four  awards  each;  all  Aaronic  Priesthood  members  keep  the 
Word  of  Wisdom  and  pay  a  full  tithing;  all  priests  and  teachers  do  ward  teaching;  all 
deacons  gather  fast  offerings — no  inactivity  among  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  under  21. 

How  could  there  possibly  be  any  senior  members  of  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  in  the 
ward?     There  aren't!     Not  even  one! 

Congratulations  to  these  splendid  young  men,  their  bishopric,  and  Aaronic  Priest- 
hood leaders  in  the  Mountainville  Ward,  North  Sanpete   (Utah)    Stake. 

669 


9 

9 


this  is  the  year 

COME  TO  THE  FAIR 


A  CENTURY  OF 

ACHIEVEMENT 

DEPICTED  IN 

ISTORICAL 

EXHIBITS 


•  Holiday  on  Ice  of  1957 

•  Beauty  Contest 

•  Sept.  17    -Kid's  Day 
starring  Duncan  Renaldo 
(The  Cisco  Kid) 

•  Horse  Racing 

•  Motor  Cycle  Races 

•  Horse  Show 

•  Livestock 

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QTEJH 

SDAOE 
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AND  INDUSTRIAL  EXPOSITION 

SEPT.  14th-23rd 

Fair  Grounds-Salt  Lake  City 


Reminds  you  of  fresh  country  cream 

..that  good  Morning  Milk 


Jorning 


Extra  rich  in  flavor  .  .  .  extra  smooth  in  texture. 
Keeps  sweet  and  delicious  indefinitely  in  the 
unopened  can.  Guarantees  superior  cooking 
results. 

So  rich  it  whips  easily  when  chilled 


5 


The  Church  Moves  On 

{Concluded  from  page  616) 

August  1956 

President  David  O.  McKay  dedi- 
cated the  new  nursery  building  ad- 
jacent to  the  Salt  Lake  Temple.  The 
new  facilities  replace  older  ones,  where 
small  children  may  be  cared  for  while 
awaiting  the  moment  when  they  are 
taken  into  the  temple  to  be  sealed  to  their 
parents. 

The  Brigham  Young  University  a 
capella  choir  was  featured  on  the  week- 
ly "Great  Choirs  of  America"  broadcast 
of  the  National  Broadcasting  Company. 
This  is  the  second  Church  group  to  be 
featured  in  this  radio  series.  The  pro- 
gram July  15th  was  provided  by  the 
Mormon  Choir  of  Southern  California. 
The  broadcasts  were  pre-recorded  and 
only  heard  in  the  East. 


Servicemen  in  West  Germany 

{Continued  from  page  643) 

with  books  supplied  from  the  Deseret 
Book  Co.  which  they  sell  at  area 
conferences.  Proceeds  are  donated  to 
the  Frankfurt  am  Main  German 
branch  building  fund.  The  Heilbronn 
group  headed  by  John  Riding  began 
sponsoring  dinners  and  similar  proj- 
ects for  the  building  fund  there. 

With  the  release  of  Elder  Nash  in 
August  1955,  President  Kenneth  B. 
Dyer,  who  succeeded  President  Can- 
non in  December  1953,  selected  Elder 
Lynn  Eric  Johnson,  St.  Anthony, 
Idaho,  to  fill  the  position  of  service- 
men's co-ordinator,  who  is  currently 
serving  in  that  capacity. 

Besides  carrying  forth  the  program 
previously  described,  the  servicemen's 
organization  has  a  broad  program  out- 
lined to  accomplish  in  the  coming 
year.  Foremost  is  an  ambitious  mis- 
sionary program  on  two  fronts:  within 
the  groups,  and  as  part-time  mission- 
aries. 

Those  serving  among  the  armed 
forces  realize  they  are  missionaries  in 
a  very  unique  position.  They  answer 
the  many  questions  they  are  con- 
stantly being  asked,  and  through  the 
power  of  their  testimony  and  the  en- 
thusiasm they  display,  they  arouse 
the  interest  of  those  around  them  and 
frequently  are  invited  to  hold  "cot- 
tage meetings."  Those  who  have  their 
wives  here  can  invite  others  to  their 
homes  and  there  demonstrate  the  joy 
possible  within  a  true  knowledge  of 
life  and  its  purpose.  Groups  are  urged 
to  begin  investigator  classes,  and 
THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


tracts  and  pamphlets  furnished  by  the 
general  servicemen's  committee  have 
been  liberally  distributed  to  all  of 
the  groups.  Copies  of  the  Book  of 
Mormon  and  other  teaching  aids  are 
available  from  the  Frankfurt  book- 
store. During  1955,  eighteen  converts 
were  baptized  through  the  service- 
men's program.  For  1956,  the  be- 
ginning goal  has  been  set  at  one  con- 
vert each  group,  and  two  copies  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon  placed  by  each 
member.  Inspiring  results  of  this 
program  are  beginning  to  appear. 

The  other  missionary  approach  is 
being  encouraged  wherever  possible 
wherein  part-time  missionaries  are 
called  to  work  with  the  full-time  mis- 
sionaries among  the  German  popula- 
tion, thereby  doubling  the  contacting 
power  of  each  missionary  pair.  Mis- 
sionaries for  this  labor  have  been 
called  in  Stuttgart,  Heidelberg,  Frank- 
furt am  Main,  and  Wiesbaden.  A 
total  of  twenty-eight  are  presently 
serving. 

The  Bern  Temple  and  the  privilege 
of  doing  temple  work  there,  now  that 
English  sessions  are  scheduled  for 
those  who  have  had  their  endow- 
ments, will  be  claiming  the  attention 
of  servicemen  throughout  Europe. 
The  first  temple  tour  of  servicemen 
and  dependents  from  the  West  Ger- 
man Mission  was  arranged  by  the 
Frankfurt  am  Main  American  branch 
for  February  23  and  24,  and  many 
other  tours  are  being  planned 
throughout  the  different  areas. 

Enthusiasm  is  mounting  in  every 
quarter  for  the  Berchtesgaden  con- 
ference year. 

Servicemen  were  also  invited  to 
participate  in  the  mission-wide  Ger- 
man youth  conference  held  during 
the  last  week  of  July,  1956,  in  Wies- 
baden where  the  Tabernacle  Choir 
sang  during  its  European  tour.  Sev- 
eral groups  supplied  singers  who 
joined  the  two  hundred  voice  youth 
choir. 

An  expanded  program  is  being  fos- 
tered to  find  LDS  people  who  don't 
know  of  LDS  meetings,  and  to  acti- 
vate those  whose  interest  may  have 
lagged.  Personnel  files  are  checked, 
liaison  is  established  with  post  chap- 
lains, notices  are  put  in  daily  bulle- 
tins and  papers,  announcements  are 
broadcast  over  the  radio,  posters  ad- 
vertising meetings  are  displayed 
throughout  the  camps,  and  personal 
contacting  is  done  among  all  known 
LDS  members.  As  can  be  seen  by 
the  map,  there  is  a  group  close  enough 
(Concluded  on  following  page) 
SEPTEMBER  1956 


1 


:"1illas;fiiif 


YOUR  ERA  SUBSCRIPTION  MAY  EXPIRE 

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Check  the  address  label  on  the  back  cover  of  one  of  your 
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671 


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Gospel  Ideals 

In  Its  Third   Edition 


Selections  from   the   Discourses  of 


President  David  O.  McKay 


$4.00 


at  all   bookdealers 


Servicemen  in  West  Germany 

(Concluded  from  preceding  page) 

for  nearly  all  to  attend  meetings 
throughout  the  mission  area.  A  great 
help  can  be  rendered  by  those  desir- 
ing someone  to  be  reached  within  the 
mission  if  they  will  send  the  neces- 
sary information  to  the  West  Ger- 
man Mission,  Frankfurt  am  Main, 
Bettinastrasse,  55,  Germany.  This  has 
been  done  many  times  with  heart- 
warming results.  The  closeness  and 
love  felt  within  the  groups  are  very 
deep,  and  many  who  have  never  be- 
fore felt  the  need  of  the  Church  find 
here  a  great  spiritual  awakening. 

In  connection  with  the  above  pro- 
gram, an  intensified  drive  for  all 
group  leaders  to  write  the  bishops  and 
quorums  of  men  not  receiving  Church 
publications  has  been  begun.  Group 
leaders  are  furnished  form  letters  and 
information  for  this  purpose.  The 
importance  of  these  to  the  men  can- 
not be  over-stressed.  Many  times 
they  stand  between  the  man  and  his 
succumbing  to  the  great  pressures  of 
the  world  around  him,  and  they  serve 
as  excellent  missionary  aids.  At  the 
present,  only  from  ten  to  twenty  per- 
cent of  the  men  are  receiving  this 
support. 

With  many  fine  accomplishments 
behind  it  and  many  high  objectives 
before  it,  the  "Modern  Mormon  Bat- 
talion" marches  on. 

The  strength  it  exhibits  is  best 
described  by  LDS  Chaplain  Theodore 
Curtis,  Jr.  Asked  to  speak  to  the 
Protestant  chaplains  on  ways  they 
could  improve  their  "Protestant  Men 
of  the  Chapel"  program  for  lay  per- 
sonnel participation,  Chaplain  Curtis 
cited  the  activity  being  done  among 
the  LDS  groups,  and  pointed  out: 
"Wherever  you  have  two  LDS  men 
come  together,  you  have  a  'Men  of 
the  Chapel'  organization.  Their  pro- 
gram does  not  require  pushing  by 
monthly  banquets  with  distinguished 
speakers.  In  fact,  we  have  to  get 
out  of  the  way  to  keep  from  being 
run  over." 


672 


There  Were  Jaredites 

(Continued  from  page  632) 
"I  remember,"  said  Blank,  "that  in 
the  Book  of  Mormon  Lehi  had  some- 
thing like  the  equivalent  of  Jared's 
shining  stone,  and  that  was  the  Lia- 
hona.  And  we  are  told  very  plainly 
that  there  was  "a  type  in  this  thing." 
(Alma  37:39-46.)  ' 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


"That  is  thoroughly  characteristic 
of  oriental  thinking,"  Dr.  Schwulst 
observed.  "In  a  recent  study  on  the 
Urim  and  Thummim,  Schoneveld  has 
emphasized  the  idea  the  Urim  does 
get  its  name  from  the  root  Or-,  which 
means  light  and  does  imply  that  it 
was  some  sort  of  shining  stone;  it 
was  the  chief  jewel  of  the  twelve  gems 
on  the  ephod  of  the  high  priest,  which 
were  nothing  less  than  'the  symbol  of 
God's  presence.'  According  to  Schone- 
veld, these  stones  were  not  intro- 
duced by  Moses,  'but  were  already 
known  in  the  times  before  the  in- 
stitution of  the  high  priest's  ritual 
clothing.'55  It  has  also  recently  been 
shown  that  the  peculiar  endings  of 
the  names  Urim  and  Thummim  are 
not  Hebrew  plurals  at  all,  but  much 
older  endings."56 

"Strange  how  everything  points  to 
another  people,"  Blank  observed. 

"Yes,  Lucian  already  gives  us  a  hint 
when  he  says  that  the  Deucalion  or 
Noah  revered  at  the  Syrian  shrine 
was  not  a  Greek  or  Oriental  but  a 
Scythian — an  Indo-European  from 
the  north."57 

"Where  did  the  Sumerians  come 
from,"  asked  F.,  "if  they  brought  their 
culture  and  legends  with  them  into 
Mesopotamia?" 

"No  question  has  been  more  de- 
bated than  that  one,"  was  the  reply, 
"but  as  of  today  we  can  do  no  better 
than  to  follow  Speiser,  who  has 
sought  the  original  home  of  the 
Sumerians  long  and  diligently,  and 
now  concludes  (where  is  that  note?) : 
*■;";.  .  the  Sumerians  arrived  at  the 
head  of  the  Persian  Gulf  .  .  .  from  the 
east,  probably  by  sea,  although  their 
original  home  .  .  .  has  to  be  sought 
beyond  the  Iranian  province,'  that  is, 
away  off  in  the  middle  of  Asia  some- 
where— Speiser  offers  three  sugges- 
tions: 'Transcaucasia,  Transcaspia, 
and  Farther  Asia.'  "58 

"Then  who  knows  what  may  lie  be- 
hind all  this?"  cried  the  perplexed  F. 

"One  thing  is  certain:  it  is  a  world 
we  dream  not  of.  If  the  story  of 
Jared's  boats  is  not  a  true  one,  it  is 
certainly  a  supremely  clever  tale,  in- 
credibly ingenious  to  have  come  from 
anyone  in  1830." 

"Let  us  sum  up  this  business  of  the 
shining  stones  as  it  stands,"  Blank 
suggested. 

"A  good  idea,"  replied  the  Orien- 
talist, "especially  since  I  have  led  you 
on  such  a  tortuous  way.  Well  then, 
(Continued  on  following  page) 
SEPTEMBER  1956 


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673 


There  Were  Jaredites 


(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

first  we  found,  tucked  away  in  the 
corner  of  an  old,  obscure,  and  com- 
pletely neglected  Jewish  writing  a 
very  brief  passage  that  suggested, 
along  with  alternatives,  that  Noah 
had  shining  jewels  or  stones  in  the 
ark,  which  he  used  for  telling  night 
from  day  rather  than  as  illumination. 
That  is  all  the  Jews  tell  us,  so  far  as 
I  can  find  out,  and  it  is  not  much. 
Next  we  found  some  traditions  about 
the  forming  of  shining  stones  by  a 
heat  process,  and  noted  that  the 
world-wide  dispersion  of  those  tradi- 
tions indicated  their  great  antiquity. 
We  found  then  that  the  shining  stone 
thus  produced  everywhere  went  by 
the  same  name  and  was  thought  to 
possess  the  same  marvelous  proper- 
ties and  powers,  the  most  remarkable 
of  which  was  its  power  to  enable  its 
owner  to  pass  through  the  depths  of 
the  water.  Next  it  was  easy  to  iden- 
tify this  stone  with  the  very  stone 
that  Alexander  the  Great  lost  in  the 
Euphrates  in  an  episode  which  many 
scholars  were  quick  to  identify  with 
a  central  occurrence  in  the  Gilgamesh 
epic:  the  loss  of  the  plant  of  Life 
which  had  once  belonged  to  Ut- 
napishtim,  the  Babylonian  Noah,  who 
alone  could  tell  the  hero  Gilgamesh 
where  and  how  to  obtain  it.  Then 
we  turned  to  the  most  renowned  sur- 
vival of  a  cult  of  Noah  in  the  ancient 
world  and  found  that  the  most  re- 
markable cult  object  at  that  shrine 
was  a  wonderful  stone  that  shone  in 
the  dark — Lucian  actually  claims  to 
have  seen  it  in  operation.  .  .  ." 

"A  monument  to  human  gullibil- 
ity," F.  interposed. 

"You  miss  the  point  entirely," 
Blank  countered.  "This  stuff  does  not 
rely  on  its  historical  accuracy  for  its 
significance." 

"What  would  you  say  was  signifi- 
cant about  it,  then?" 

"For  one  thing  it  illustrates  beauti- 
fully a  thing  we  are  now  pointing  out 
with  increasing  insistence,  namely, 
that  the  wild,  exotic,  unbridled  orien- 
tal imagination  we  hear  so  much 
about  simply  does  not  exist.  Where, 
for  example,  could  you  find  a  more 
complete  and  total  lack  of  creative 
imagination?  The  same  old  motifs  oc- 
cur over  and  over  again  for  thou- 
sands of  years,  the  only  changes  being 
the  accretions  of  equally  unoriginal 
674 


local  stuff  and  the  inevitable  inac- 
curacies of  transmission.  Of  original- 
ity not  a  spark!  Always  the  same 
thing  over  and  over  again." 

"In  other  words,  the  wild  excesses 
of  the  oriental  fancy  are  themselves 
largely  an  invention  of  the  wild  ex- 
cesses of  western  fancy!"  Schwulst 
laughed. 

"I  think  that  is  extremely  impor- 
tant, for  it  shows  that  when  we  get 
a  theme  like  the  shining  stones,  we 
can  be  sure  that  it  is  not  the  product 
of  some  imaginative  village  story- 
teller but  began  either  as  a  real  event 
or  by  some  unique  and  forgotten  act 
of  general  literary  creation." 

"As  a  matter  of  fact,"  Schwulst 
commented,  "it  has  been  shown  time 
and  again  that  your  village  story- 
teller is  one  of  the  most  reliable  de- 
positories of  archaic  lore,  which  he 
preserves  intact  through  the  centuries: 
No  one  could  be  less  guilty  of  imagin- 
ing things!" 

"But  what  if  the  Ether  story  is  only 
literary  creation?"  asked  F. 

"That  makes  no  difference  to  its 
value  as  evidence.  For  the  question 
is  not,  'How  did  the  author  of  that 
book  know  about  those  events?'  but 
simply  'How  could  he  possibly  have 
known  anything  about  those  stories?' 
Remember,  the  key  to  the  whole 
thing  was  the  Gilgamesh  epic  which 
was  not  discovered  until  long  after 
many  editions  of  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon had  appeared;  without  that 
source  all  the  other  materials  from 
East  and  West  remain  quite  mean- 
ingless. But  as  soon  as  students  had 
access  to  that  work  they  began  point- 
ing out  borrowings  and  connections 
on  every  side,  all  pointing  to  a  com- 
mon origin.  Knowing  nothing, 
though,  about  the  book  of  Ether,  the 
scholars  have  obligingly  demon- 
strated, among  other  things,  that  the 
wonderful  Pyrophilus  which  has  all 
the  properties  of  Jared's  stones  is  to 
be  found  ultimately  in  the  possession 
of  Noah.  Of  those  same  stones  the 
Talmud  preserves  a  dim  but  unmis- 
takable memory,  a  mere  hint  from 
which  the  details  in  Ether  could 
never  have  been  reconstructed,  but 
none-the-less  a  witness  which  puts  a 
final  stamp  of  authenticity  on  the  old 
story.  More  than  that  I  cannot  tell 
you  now." 

(To  be  continued) 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

31The  rabbi.s  "could  not  explain  the  mean- 
ing of  Zohar  .  .  ."  Midrash  Rabbah,  Trsl.  H. 
Freedman  (London:  Soncino  Press,  1939), 
I,  244. 

^Ibid.,  citing  Midr.  Rab.  XXXI,  11. 

S3Loc.  cit. 

3iTalmud  Jerushalmi,  Pesahim  I,  i,  Schwab 
Trsl.,  Paris,  1882,  V  2,  cited  by  E.  Mange- 
not,  in  F.  Vigouroux,  Dictionnaire  de  la 
Bible  (Paris,  1894),  I,  923.  Mangenot's  own 
reflection  is  that  "it  is  ridiculous  to  say  with 
Rabbi  Ahia-ben-Zeira  that  in  the  midst  of 
the  darkness  of  the  Ark  Noah  could  dis- 
tinguish day  from  night  by  the  aid  of  pearls 
and  precious  stones,  whose  luster  grew  pale 
by  day  and  shone  forth  by  night." 

35M.  Mielziner,  Introduction  to  the  Tal- 
mud, (1894),  p.  62. 

saIbid.,  p.  92. 

37The  Babylonian  Talmud,  "so  rich  in 
dialectical  subtilties,  and  so  full  of  techni- 
calities and  elliptical  expressions,  offers  to 
the  translator  almost  insurmountable  diffi- 
culties. ...  It  would  sometimes  require  a 
whole  volume  of  commentary  to  supplement 
the  translation  of  a  single  chapter  of  the 
original.  .  .  This  explains  why  the  various 
attempts  at  translating  the  whole  of  the 
Babylonian  Talmud  have,  thus  far,  proven 
a  failure,  so  that  as  yet  only  compara- 
tively few  Masechtoth  of  this  Talmud  have 
been  translated,  and  these  translations  are 
in  many  cases  not  intelligible  enough  to  be 
fully  understood  by  the  reader  who  is  not 
yet  familiar  with  the  original  text  and 
with  the  spirit  of  the  Talmud."  Ibid.,  pp. 
89-90.  Yet  this  Talmud  is  far  simpler  and 
infinitely  better  known  than  the  Palestinian 
Talmud! 

ss"The  old  Indian  literature  is  full  of  the 
theme,"  according  to  J.  J.  Meyer,  "Das  un- 
verbrennbare  Herz  und  der  Edelstein 
Pyrophilus,"  Zeitschrift  der  Deutschen  Mor- 
genldndischen  Gesellschaft,  86  (1932),  jr.. 
97.  Though  many  jewels  have  been  sug- 
gested as  the  original  shining  stone — sap- 
phire, smaragd,  etc.,  the  favored  candidate- 
in  Indian  lore  is  the  ruby,  called  the  sun. 
stone  because  of  its  fiery  nature.  Ibid.,  95  ff.. 

''"Regardless  of  the  original  substance;,  it 
was  the  hardening  and  purifying  action?  oF 
fire  that  achieved  the  miraculous  transforma- 
tion: it  was  believed  that  even  hailstones., 
clear  crystalline  pellets,  could  be  used  to- 
create  jewels  by  fire!  Ibid.,  pp.  95-97.  The 
result  was  always  a  clear  crystal,  ibid.,  p.. 
99. 

40Ibid.,  p.  97.  Wilhelm  Printz,  "Gilgamesh. 
und  Alexander,"  Ztschr.  d.  Dt.  Morgl.  Ges., 
85  (1931),  196-206. 

41Meyer,  op.  cit.,  p.  99;  Printz,  Op.  cit.,  p.. 
200. 

42Printz,  op.  cit.,  pp.  196  ff.  quotes  relevant: 
passages    from    Albertus    Magnus,    Thomas; 
Cantimpratensis,  Conrad  of  Megenber,  Vin- 
cent  of  Beauvais,  Volmar,    and   others,   all. 
of  whom  give  slightly  varying  versions. 

43The  Aristotle  passage  is  lost,  though  it: 
is  referred  to  as  a  source  by  later  writers, 
and  quoted  by  an  unnamed  fourteenth  cen- 
tury writer  in  a  passage  reproduced  by 
Printz,  op.  cit.,  p.  197.  An  earlier  version. 
than  the  Alexander  story  is  given  by  a 
Scholiast  to  a  lost  play  of  Sophocles,  in  A,. 
Nauck,  Tragicorum  Graecorum  Fragmenta;i 
2nd  Ed.,  (Leipzig,  1889),  p.  209. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA_ 


i4It  is  called  a  pharmakon  agerasias  or 
"specific  against  old  age"  in  the  fragment 
cited  in  the  preceding  note;  see  below,  n. 
46. 

15Printz,  op.  cit.,  pp.  189-200. 

4?P.  Jensen,  Assyrisch-babylonische  Mythen 
und  Epen,  in  Keilinschriftliche  Bibliothek 
(Berlin,  1901),  VI,  250-3.  Lines  282  ft. 
from  the  XI  Tablet  of  the  Gilgamesh  epic 
will  illustrate  the  remarkable  commingling  of 
familiar  motifs  in  this  very  ancient  epic: 

I  will  disclose,  O  Gilgamesh,  a  hidden  thing 

and  .  .  .  tell  it  to  you. 
That  plant  is  like  a  thorn  in  the  field. 
Its  thorn  will  pierce  thy  hand  like  a  thorny 

vine;   it  will  pierce   through  thy  hand. 
When    thy    hands    grasp    that    plant,    thou 

canst  return  again  to  thy  land. 
When   Gilgamesh  heard  this 
He  opened  the.  .  .  . 
He  tied  heavy  stones  on  his  feet, 
And    they     dragged    him    down    into    the 

cosmic  ocean  (and  he  found  the  plant). 
He  cut  the  heavy  stones  loose,  and 
A  second  one  he  cast  down  to  his 

%  #  #  :fc  :fc 

Then  Gilgamesh  (on  the  way  home)  saw  a 

pool  of  water,  which  was  cold, 
He  went  down  into  it  and  washed  himself 

with  water. 
A  serpent  smelled  the  fragrance  of  the  plant, 

came  up  .  .  .  and  took  the  plant  away. 
Then  when  he  came  back  he  mocked  and 

taunted  (Gilgamesh), 
Then    Gilgamesh    sat    himself    down    and 

wept.  .  .  . 

Though  the  stones  on  the  feet  are  the  key 
to  the  story,  according  to  Printz,  identifying 
the  plant  of  life  definitely  with  the  shining 
stone  Pyrophilos,  which  Alexander  lost  in 
the  same  way,  even  the  casual  reader  will 
note  in  this  brief  excerpt  various  striking 
parallels  to  the  story  of  man's  fall. 

*7H.  Stocks,  in  Beyrutus,  IV,  12. 

^Lucian,  De  Syria  Dea,  12-13.  Stocks,  op. 
cit.,  IV,  7-8,  noting  that  Lucian's  flood  story 
is  neither  Babylonian  nor  Greek.  He  main- 
tains, p.  10,  that  Lucian  rightly  refers  to 
Deucalion,  the  local  Noah,  as  a  Scythian. 
Gilgamesh's  friend  and  double  Humbaba  is 
obviously  the  Kombabus  whose  legend  Lu- 
cian here  recounts:  it  is  a  version  of  the 
sacrifice  and  resurrection  motif. 

4BLucian,  op.  cit.,  13. 

""Ibid.,  c.  32. 

nA.  Jirku,  "Der  Kult  des  Mondgottes  im 
altor.  Palastina-Syrien,"  Ztschr.  d.  Dt.  Mgl. 
Ges.  100  (1951),  202-4,  showing  that  the 
cult  was  prominent  both  at  Ras  Shamra 
and  Jericho  in  very  ancient  times.  The 
prominence  of  Kombabus  alone  at  the  Syrian 
shrine  is  enough  to  guarantee  the  great  age 
of  its  rites. 

62Macrobius,  cited  in  Stocks,  op.  cit.,  p.  15. 

^C.  Clemen,  Lukians  Schrift  iXber  die 
syrische  Goiitin,  Heft  3/4,  1938,  of  Der  Alte 
Orient,  No.  37,  p.  42. 

54Stocks,  op.  cit.,  p.  6. 

"J-  Schoneveld,  in  Orientalia  Neerlandica, 
p.  222. 

S6A.  Jirku,  "Die  Mimation  in  den  nord- 
semit.  Sprachen  .  .  ."  Biblica,  34  (1953),  pp. 
78  ff. 

™ Supra,  note  48. 

^E.  A.  Speiser,  in  Hebrew  Union  College 
Annual,  23,  p.  355. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


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i  v  hn 


Roselle  L.  Bump 


When  i  was  first  married,  I  dis- 
liked housework  and  disliked  the 
kitchen  above  all,"  confessed 
Sister  Roselle  L.  Bump  of  Des  Moines, 
Iowa.  "I  even  disdained  to  put  on 
a  house  dress.  Then  one  day  I  sud- 
denly reasoned  that  I  certainly  was 
not  going  to  be  happy  in  this  frame 
of  mind;  after  all,  I  was  married,  so 
I  had  better  get  busy  and  do  some- 
thing about  it.  By  working  on  my 
attitude  I  began  to  take  an  interest 
in  the  house,  but  cooking  was  a 
problem. 

"I'll  never  forget  the  day  my  hus- 
band called  and  said  he  was  bringing 
a  man  from  the  head  office  home  to 
dinner.  I  was  frantic.  I  knew  next 
to  nothing  about  preparing  a  meal. 
All  I  could  do  was  try,  so  among 
other  things  I  started  preparing  a 
rice  pudding.  The  recipe  said  three 
cups  of  rice.  Well,  I  kept  dividing 
and  dividing  the  overflow  of  rice  into 
one  pan  and  another  and  then  an- 
other until  I  was  finally  using  the 
dish  pan.  I  spent  the  entire  day  pre- 
paring the  meal.  I'm  sure  it  must 
have  been  in  spite  of  my  dinner  and 
not  because  of  it  that  my  husband 
kept  his  job." 

With  her  resolution  to  become  a 
good  housewife,  Sister  Bump  opened 
her  eyes  to  the  homemakers  about 
her,  observed  their  "tricks  of  the 
trade,"  started  studying  the  news- 
papers and  magazines,  and  over  the 
years  she  has  made  a  collection  of 
recipes  and  helpful  culinary  sugges- 
tions. 

"Once  I  started  in  the  kitchen,  I 
loved  it.  It  is  the  part  of  my  home  I 
enjoy  most  of  all,  although  I  am 
happy  with  housekeeping  generally." 

Missionaries  who  have  labored  in 
Des  Moines  (and  who  appreciates 
good  food  more  than  missionaries?) 


Editor 


About  Face  to  Success 


by  A  lite  Howe 


all  acclaim  the  spreads  of  Sister  Bump 
as  something  to  be  remembered.  If 
the  missionaries  cannot  go  to  her 
home,  she  takes  food  to  them. 

Because  she  now  enjoys  cooking, 
Sister  Bump  has  designed  her  newly 
remodeled  kitchen  to  offer  facility 
and  provide  accessibility  to  her  house- 
wares. In  a  large  measure  the 
kitchen  is  her  living  room,  and  one 
of  its  finest  features  is  a  desk  from 
which  she  conducts  the  business  of 
her  home.  One  of  the  big  drawers 
is  especially  tabbed  Improvement 
Era  because  Sister  Bump  is  the  Des 
Moines  Branch  Era  director.  From  a 
small    beginning    of    eight    subscrip- 


tions in  the  branch  in  1952,  her  con- 
tinuous and  persistent  efforts  have 
resulted  in  the  Hall  of  Fame  award 
for  the  branch  in  1956.  That  one 
big  drawer  in  her  kitchen  desk  is  an 
important  one. 

Another  big  drawer  is  set  aside  for 
the  Primary.  Sister  Bump  has  worked 
in  this  branch  auxiliary  and  is  now 
the  Central  Iowa  District  Primary 
supervisor.  Although  she  enjoys  this 
work,  she  seems  to  reflect  a  special 
enthusiasm  as  she  tells  of  the  Relief 
Society  dinners  of  which  she  has  been 
chairman  in  Des  Moines. 

She  has  had  many  requests  from 
members  for  these  recipes: 


Here  is  shrimp  all 
dressed  up  in  a  de- 
lightful souffle,  gar- 
nished with  grated 
cheddar  cheese  and 
hard  cooked  egg 
rings. 


oto   Courtesy  of   the  Kellog 


676 


Company 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


German  Potato  Salad 

Plan  l!/2  potatoes  for  each  person. 
Boil  with  skins  on  until  tender.  Peel 
when  cool.  Slice  layer  of  potatoes  in 
casserole,  salt  and  pepper  and  sprinkle 
lightly  with  flour,  layer  upon  layer,  un- 
til all  potatoes  are  used.  Fry  l/2  pound 
of  cubed  bacon  until  golden  brown.  Add 
one  large  Spanish  onion  cut  fine  but  do 
not  brown.  Pour  bacon,  grease,  and 
onion  over  potatoes.  In  this  same  fry- 
ing pan  put: 

l/2  cup   vinegar    (or    add  more   to   suit 

taste) 
l/2  cup  water  and  bring  to  boil  and  add 


i. 


2  cup  sugar 


Pour  mixture  over  potatoes  and  stir 
until  sweet-sour  taste  results.  Bake  in 
slow  oven,  300°  F.  for  30  minutes.  Keep 
in  a  warm  oven  until  ready  to  serve. 
Serves  six. 

For  one  of  the  late  autumn  patio  din- 
ners or  for  any  season,  Sister  Bump  sug- 
gests: 

Barbecued  Spareribs 

4  to  5  pounds  spareribs. 

Cut  into  servings.  Place  in  roaster  in 
layers,  salting  and  peppering  each  layer, 
and  put  a  slice  of  onion  on  each  serving; 
sprinkle  with  celery  seed,  and  spoon  the 
following  sauce  over  each  layer: 

2  bottles  catsup 

!/3  to  V2  bottle  tobasco  sauce  (go  easy) 
5  tablespoons  liquid  smoke 

Bake,  covered,  in  slow  oven,  300°  F., 
two  to  three  hours. 

Fresh  Corn  Scallops 

2  cups  cooked  corn,  cut  from  cob 
(or  2  cups  canned  niblets) 

1  teaspoon  grated  onion 

2  tablespoons  chopped  pimento 

1  cup  cracker  crumbs 
salt 

pepper 

2  to  3  tablespoons  butter 
3/4  cup  of  milk 

Mix  corn,  onion,  and  pimento.    Alter- 
nate layers  of  this  mixture  with  cracker 
crumbs  and  seasonings  in  greased  cas- 
serole.   Dot  with  butter.    Pour  milk  over 
(Continued  on  following  page) 

Fresh  from  the  oven,  this  fresh  corn  scal- 
lop is  temptingly  delicious. 


fcM&l&oi  -        -    J 


Her  hobbies  are  jewelry-making  and  cooking 


Salt  Lake  City  Cook  Wins  Championship 


Becky  Ann  and  Laurence  have  a 
right  to  be  doubly  impressed  with 
their  mother's  awards . . .  Mrs.  Albert 
Urry  won  them  in  two  different 
states.  She  won  a  blue  ribbon  at  the 
Nevada  Elko  County  Fair  and  a 
championship  at  the  Utah  State  Fair. 
Thjs  was  last  year  and  Mrs.  Urry's 
first  year  of  cooking  competition. 

Although  Mrs.  Urry  is  new  to  com- 
petition she's  been  an  expert  cook  for 
a  long  while,  so  she  knows  the  im- 
portance of  good  ingredients.  That's 
why  she  uses  Fleischmann's  Active 
Dry  Yeast. "It's  so  dependable,"  she 
says.  "And  it  keeps  for  months." 


You'll  find  that  most  good  cooks 
prefer  Fleischmann's  Active  Dry 
Yeast,  and  no  wonder.  This  yeast 
keeps  for  months  on  your  shelf.  And 
it's  fast  rising,  easy  to  use.  When 
you  bake  at  home,  use  Fleischmann's 
Active  Dry  Yeast  for  all  your  yeast- 
raised  specialties  and  for  the  new 
"Yeast-Riz"  main  dishes.  There's  a 
recipe  on  every  "Thrifty  Three' '  strip. 


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SEPTEMBER  1956 


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Allow  us  30  days. 


Know  Your  IDS  Cooks 

(Continued  from  preceding  page) 

mixture  and  bake  in  hot  oven,  400°  E, 
20  minutes.     Serves  six. 

Other  casserole  favorites  of  our  cook 
are: 

Shrimp  Souffle 

1  can  shrimp,  5  ounce  or  7  ounce  can 
5  slices  buttered  bread  cut  into 

l/2   inch  cubes.     No  crust. 
Va  pound     American     cheddar     cheese, 
grated 

3  or  4  eggs 
teaspoon  dry  mustard 
teaspoon  salt 

/8  teaspoon  pepper 

4  teaspoon  paprika 

2  cups  milk 


1 


Butter  casserole 
of  bread,  cheese, 
rate  bowl,  mix  eg 
them    the    salt, 
milk.     Pour  over 
of  hot  water  and 
in  350°  F.  oven, 
or  cut  in  half  if 
processed  cheese. 


dish.  Alternate  layers 
and  shrimp.  In  sepa- 
;gs  slightly  and  add  to 
pepper,  paprika,  and 
casserole.  Set  in  pan 
bake  50  to  60  nrnutes. 

Leave  shrimps  whole 
too  large.    Do  not  use 

Serves  four. 


Tenderoni  Souffle 

1  cup  tenderoni 
1  cup  soft  bread  crumbs 
1  cup  cheese,  grated 
(or  y2  pound  processed  cheese) 

1  cup  hot  milk 

2  eggs,  beaten 

Cook  the  tenderoni  in  salted  water. 
Do  not  blanch.  Mix  above  ingredients 
together  in  order  given. 

l/2  cup  butter,  melted 

1  onion  cut  fine 

2  oz.  pimento,  cut  fine 

1  small  green  pepper,  cut  fine 

Simmer  these  ingredients  until  soft, 
then  mix  with  the  above.  Turn  into  but- 
tered dish  10"  x  14"  and  place  in  re- 
frigerator overnight.  Remove  prior  to 
baking  until  casserole  is  room  tempera- 
ture. Then  bake  from  one  to  one  and 
a  quarter  hours  at  300°  F.  Serve  with 
sauce  made  of  condensed  mushroom 
soup  with  added  mushrooms  or  with  a 
white  sauce  with  almonds  and  sliced 
stuffed  olives  added.     Serves  eight. 

Other  recipes  for  which  Roselle  Bump 
is  well  known  are  her  ginger  krinkles 
and  rhubarb  chiffon  pie. 

Ginger  Krinkles 

3/4  cup  shortening 
1  cup  brown  sugar  (packed) 

1  egg 

4  tablespoons  molasses,  generous 
y4  teaspoon  salt 

2  teaspoons  soda 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


l/2  teaspoon  nutmeg 

1  teaspoon  cinnamon 
\l/2  teaspoons  ginger 
2!/4  cups  flour,  not  sifted  first 

Cream  shortening  and  sugar  very 
thoroughly;  then  blend  in  beaten  egg 
and  molasses.  Sift  dry  ingredients  to- 
gether and  stir  into  creamed  mixture 
and  place  in  refrigerator  to  chill. 

Shape  dough  into  balls.  Place  .  on 
greased  baking  sheet  about  two  to  three 
inches  apart.  Press  down  lightly  with 
fork  dipped  in  water,  and  sprinkle  with 
sugar.  Bake  in  350°  F.  oven  12  to  15 
minutes.  Watch  carefully  because  they 
scorch  easily. 

Rhubarb  Chiffon  Pie 

1  package  lemon  gelatin 
Y4  cup  boiling  water 
]/$  to  Y2  cup    sugar     (depending    upon 
sweetness  of  rhubarb) 

1  lemon,  juice  and  grated  rind 

1  cup  whipping  cream 

2  cups  cooked  sweetened  rhubarb 
1    10-inch  pie  shell 

Dissolve  gelatin  in  boiling  water.  Add 
sugar,  lemon  juice,  and  grated  rind,  and 
chill  until  consistency  of  unbeaten  egg 
white.  Whip.  In  separate  bowl  whip 
the  cream,  add  a  little  red  food  coloring 
to  the  rhubarb,  fold  into  the  cream,  and 
add  into  the  whipped  gelatin  mixture. 
Make  certain  rhubarb  is  not  cold  when 
adding  the  food  coloring;  otherwise  the 
coloring  will  not  blend.  Put  mix  in 
refrigerator  and  allow  to  thicken,  stir- 
ring occasionally.  When  it  appears 
ready  to  stay  mixed,  spoon  into  baked 
pie  shell  and  chill  until  firm.  Chilling 
overnight  is  usually  best. 

Sister  Bump  recalls  that  one  of  her 
most  interesting  experiences  was  receiv- 
ing a  "fan"  letter  after  she  and  one  of 
her  recipes  were  featured  in  Better 
Homes  and  Gardens  magazine.  Since 
that  time,  our  cook  and  her  homemaker 
friend  from  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  have 
corresponded  each  Christmas.  ,. 

These  splendid  recipes  and  the  suc- 
cess of  our  cook  suggest  that  if  the  atti- 
tude is  right,  cooking  can  become  an 
art  and  a  joy  to  any  housewife.  Roselle 
Bump  of  the  Northern  States  Mission 
stands  as  evidence  that  some  cooks  are 
made  and  not  born. 


1%  MILLION  WESTERN  WONDERS 

Proud  of  the  eternal  beauty  and  accelerated 
progress   in  their   four-state   homeland, 
1  x/i    million  Intermountain  Citizens  comprise  a  "sales 
force"  that  is  a  true  "wonder  of  the  west."    Backing  them 
up,  with  annual  special  editions  as  well  as  daily  fea- 
tures about  the  Intermountain   West,   is  The  Salt  Lake 
Tribune,  One  of  America's  Great  Newspapers  which, 
in  this  four-state  area  is  proud  of  its  role  as  a 
potent  force  in  development  of  scenic,  natural  and  com- 
munity  resources. 


national 

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tions !  All  are  exceptionally  thin — less 
than  1" — in  convenient  5"  x  ll/s"  size. 
All  are  printed  in  clear-cut  CompacType 
on  white  Bible  paper,  and  attractively 
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New  district,  unrestricted  water,  12-month 
growing  season.  Ideal  for  melons,  produce, 
feed.     Contact    .    .    . 

FIRST  MORTGAGE   &   INVESTMENT   CO. 

OF  ARIZONA  -  REALTOR 

1103    North    Central  Phoenix,    Arizona 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


American 

upholstered  chairs 
with  pew  ends 

American  Seating  offers 

comfort  and  dignity 

in  church  furniture 

For  comfort,  dignity,  and  quietness  in 
church  seating,  choose  American  Seating 
upholstered  chairs.  They  offer  beauty  and 
durability,  correct  posture;  are  adaptable 
to  curved  rows. 

More  churches  buy  American  Seating 
products  than  any  other  make.  If  you  are 
planning  to  reseat,  remodel,  or  build,  write 
us  in  detail  about  your  seating  requirements. 


AMERICAN 
SEATING 


Depf.  169,  Grand  Rapids  2,  Mich. 
WORLD'S    LEADER    IN    PUBLIC    SEATING 

TEMPLE   MOTEL 

Next  to  L.D.S.  Temple 

10  Minutes  from  Beaches 
Kitchenettes  Available 

On  Highway  66 
10675   Santa   Monica   Blvd.,   Los   Angeles,   Calif. 

Phone  GRanite  9-9455 

679 


IT'S  NO  CHORE  AT  ALL  TO  MAKE 
JAM  THIS  UNCOOKED  WAY! 

KITCHEN  STAYS  COOL 

.  .  .  time  and  work  are  cut 
down  .  .  .  and  you  get 
more  and  better  jam  than 
ever  before  !  These  easy-to- 
make  uncooked  jam  recipes 
.  .  .  developed  exclusively 
by  M.  C.  P.  JAM  AND 
JELLY  PECTIN  ...  by  eliminating  cooking 
and  boiling,  preserve  intact  ALL  the  fresh 
fruit  flavor  (and  color),  and  produce  more 
jam  from  less  fruit  and  sugar.  You  can  make 
M.C.P.  uncooked  jams  with  either  fresh  fruits 
when  available  ...  or  frozen  berries  anytime 
you  like.  In  fact,  because  fresh  berries  are 
often  scarce  and  high-priced,  more  and  more 
jam  makers  are  making  most  of  their  jams 
with  frozen  berries,  regardless  of  season  .  .  . 
and  thus  enjoying  fresh-made  jams  that  can 
be  made  as  wanted  and  without  cooking  .  .  . 
for  less  than  15<*  a  halfpound !  Only  M.C.P. 
PECTIN  has  these  uncooked  jam  recipes. 
You'll  find  them  in  the  complete  recipe  folder 
in  every  package  OVi-oz.)  of  M.  C  P. 
PECTIN  .  .  .  along  with  those  for  the  regular 
cooked  jams  and  jellies,  if  you  prefer  them. 


YOU  NEVER  SAW  SUCH  CLEAR, 
COLORFUL,  SPARKLING  JELLY! 

SO  MUCH  JELLY,  TOO, 

from    a    given    amount    of 

fruit!  All  this  is  yours  sim- 

/    ply    by    using    the    unique 


as  much  jelly 
same    amount 


M.C.P.  juice  -  pressing 
method  that  gives  you  more 
than  twice  as  much  juice 
.  .  .  thus,  more  than  twice 
.  .  .  than  ever  before  from  the 
of  fruit !  What's  more,  this 
abundance  of  juice  is  so  fully  clarified  that 
when  you  make  it  into  jelly,  with  dependable 
M.C.P.  PECTIN,  you  get  not  only  the  most  de- 
licious but,  also,  the  clearest  and  most  beautiful 
jelly  imaginable.  To  get  this  remarkable  M.C.P. 
juice-pressing  method  (and  the  M.C.P.  Jelly 
Making  Set  to  use  it  with),  send  Si. 00  cash  or 
stamps  and  3  M.C.P.  Pectin  package  fronts  to 
M.C.P.  Kitchen  Laboratory,  Anaheim,  Calif. 
You'll  more  than  get  your  money  back  in  extra 
juice  and  jelly  the  first  time  you  use  it ! 


HERE'S  A  HOME  PRESERVE  THAT  IS 
REALLY  OUT  OF  THE  ORDINARY! 

CONCORD     GRAPE 

CONSERVE  is  a  truly  de- 
licious combination  of 
fresh  grapes,  orange,  wal- 
nuts, and  raisins  .  .  .  "put 
together"  in  beautiful  form 
with  M.C.P.  JAM  AND 
JELLY  PECTIN.  It's  easy 
to  make  .  .  .  and  gives  you  an  out-of-the-ordi- 
nary  table  treat  that  is  sure  to  delight  family 
and  friends.  Directions  for  making  in  the 
complete  Recipe  Folder  in  every  package  (3'/2- 
oz.)   of  M.C.P.  PECTIN. 


— Photo   by  Ralph   H.   Anderson 


Preserving  the 
Autumn  Colors 

by  Alice  Wbitson  Norton 

When  Jack  Frost  waves  a  magic  wand 

Across  the  wooded  hills, 
And  purple  grapes  and  muscadine 
A  pungent  odor  spills, 
I  seem  to  sense  in  air  and  sod 
A  close   contact  'twixt   man   and    God. 

To  so  many  people,  autumn  is  a 
time  of  sadness;  the  winds  carry  a 
plaintive  tune  they  know  not  at 
any  other  season  of  the  year;  the 
moon  carries  a  glow  unequaled  by  any 
other  season;  the  migratory  birds, 
whose  keen  wisdom  sends  them  south- 
ward with  the  first  breath  of  autumn, 
bring  a  sort  of  droop  to  our  spirits. 
The  weather  has  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  one's  feelings,  but  our  common 
sense  should  always  overshadow 
feelings;  yet  using  our  brains,  espe- 
cially in  the  fall  of  the  year,  is  one 
of  the  things  the  human  race  fre- 
quently overlooks. 

I'm  thinking  now  of  the  beauty  that 
slips  right  out  from  under  our  fin- 
gers— beauty  that  we  could,  through 
a  little  effort   and  perseverance,   re- 


680 


tain  for  our  personal  pleasure  for 
months  and  months. 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  a  garden, 
touched  lightly  by  Jack  Frost's  first 
autumn  visit.  Let  us  pause  for  a 
moment  at  the  asparagus  bed;  here 
you  will  see  sturdy  asparagus  stalks, 
stripped  of  course  of  their  ferny  feath- 
ers, but  heavy  with  bright  red  berries. 
Another  frost  will  get  them,  but  why 
turn  them  over  to  the  withering  hand 
of  Jack  Frost  so  readily  when  they 
can  add  brightness  to  the  house 
throughout  the  long  gray  days  of 
November — even  longer,  if  properly 
preserved. 

So  let  us  cut  these  red-berry-laden 
branches  and  store  them  along  with 
branches  from  the  bronze  barberry,  the 
oak-leaf  hydrangea,  and  the  autumn- 
splotched  chrysanthemum  leaves. 

But  how,  you  question,  can  we 
store  these  things  and  preserve  their 
beautiful  colors? 

It  is  not  exactly  easy,  but  it  can 
be  done  by  using  a  good  sized  box 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


and  packing  the  leaves  and  berries, 
between  layers  of  fresh  sand.  I  have 
even  preserved  both  the  leaf  and 
plume  of  crimson  sumac  by  this 
method  for  weeks  after  the  frost  has 
withered  their  gorgeous  beauty  in  the 
valley. 

Now  let  us  turn  to  our  helichrysum 
— more  commonly  titled,  the  marigold 
or  strawflower.  No  plant  gives  more 
in  return  for  the  labor  expended  than 
a  bed  of  helichrysum;  these  flowers 
begin  developing  early  in  the  sum- 
mer, and  they  are  easy  to  preserve. 
For  this  particular  group  of  flowers, 
I  gather  them  before  they  are  entirely 
full-blown  because  I  like  the  buds 
better  than  the  full-blown  flower.  I 
cut  them  with  long  stems,  tie  in  small 
bunches  and  hang  up  to  dry  with  the 
blossoms  down.  I  dry  them  in  paper 
bags  left  slightly  open  at  the  top 
to  dispose  of  any  moisture  and  also 
to  protect  them  from  dust,  and  once 
they  are  dry  I  close  the  bag  carefully, 
pack  loosely  in  a  big  cardboard  box 
and  set  them  in  my  basement.  These 
you  will  find  especially  valuable 
throughout  the  winter  for  brighten- 
ing the  home,  using  fern  for  green- 
ness. 

As  early  as  June,  I  begin  gathering 
long  sprays  of  gypsophila,  drying  and 
packing  by  the  same  method;  the 
result  is  bits  of  lacy  whiteness  at  no 
expense  during  long,  dark  winter 
days. 

The  woods  arc  veritable  fairy- 
lands in  October  with  the  leaves  from 
the  oak  family  so  bright  and  vivid  in 
color.  These,  along  with  the  sour- 
weed  and  the  red  hawthorn  and  black 
hawthorn  vines  with  their  bright  red 
berries,  found  trailing  along  old 
fences  in  out-of-way  places,  respond 
to  packing  in  sand. 

Therefore  the  color  in  our  autumn 
gardens,  as  well  as  the  beauty  of  wild 
things  growing  in  profusion  in  the 
woods  about  us,  can  be  preserved  for 
home  decorations  long  after  old 
Mother  Nature  has  tucked  her  babies 
away  for  a  peaceful  sleep  in  a  dor- 
mant world. 


SUMMER  SONG 

By  Lance  Delaney 

TThe  brown  boy  cartwheels  down  the  lane 

Merely  to  see  what  he  can  see, 
Having  no  need  for  any  gain 
Except  green  song,   as  wind   blows  free. 
A  boy  and  earth  in  summer  weather 
Are  rhythm  and  song,  joined  together. 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


Earn  More  —  With  Safety 


Christopher  Columbia  Says ...        ^™ 

|Make  Your  Savings^™' 
Pay  YOU... 


Make    your    money    earn    the    most    ,    . 
big   4%.     Experienced   lending   .   .   .   low 
overhead    .    .    .    and    no    gifts    let    us 
share  the  earnings   with   you.     Invest 
with    complete   safety    In   this    state- 
government    supervised     company. 
All  money  received   until  Septem- 
ber 15  earns  from  September   1. 
Open     an    account    now    either 
in    person   or   by    mail. 


SAVE 


MAIL! 


With  Safety 


IN 
SUGAR 

HOUSE 


Elbert  R.  Curtis 

Dr.  J.  Le  Roy  Kimball 

J.  Fred  Pingree 


SAVINGS  AND  LOAN  ASSN. 

1056  EAST  21ST  SOUTH   ST. 
SALT    LAKE    CITY    6.    UTAH 


STATE 

[SUPERVISED 

Elbert  R. 

Curtis 
President 

Robert  V. 
Hodgen 

Exec. 
Vice  Pres. 


OFFICERS  AND  DIRECTORS. 

T.  J.  Christiansen 
Leo  L.  Capson 
Dee  F.  Anderson 


Louis  H.  Callister 
Sid  N.  Cornwall 
George  A.  Dixon 


'Tin  coming  to  school  at  BYU  — 

which  bank  is  best 
for  students? 


11 


THAT'S  EASY — the  "students'  bank,"  the  friendly 
Farmers  &  Merchants  Branch  of  Walker  Bank.  Guess  we 
ought  to  call  ourselves  the  "Farmers  &  Merchants  &  Students 
Branch,"  we've  had  the  pleasure  of  serving  so  many  BYU 
folks  We  enjoy  it!  And  we've  learned  a  lot  about  your 
needs  and  how  we  can  serve  you  best.  So,  make  the  friendly 
Farmers  &  Merchants  Branch  one  of  your  first  stops  in 
Provo.  See  why  so  many  students  say — ■ 


11 


"For  my  money  it's 

Walker  Bank! 

(V  of  U  students  get  that  special  Walker  Bank  \ 
attention  at  Main  and  Second  South,  Sugar  I 
House,  or  450  South  2nd  West  in  Salt  Lake  City.  I 


It's  entirely 
Automatic... 


ELECTRIC 

WATER 

HEATING 


costs  the 

average 

family 

only 

about 

a  dime 

a  day 


Boy  from  Your  Dealer  or  Plumber 


Be  Modern... 

Live  Electrically 

UTAH  POWER  &  LIGHT  CO. 


YOUR  ERA 
SUBSCRIPTION 
MAY   EXPIRE 

.  .  .  when  you're  least  expecting 
it.  But  it  needn't.  For,  by  know- 
ing the  expiration  date— and  by 
renewing  at  least  two  months 
before  that  date  arrives  —  you 
can  insure  against  missing  even 
a  single  issue  of  The  Improve- 
ment Era. 

Check  the  address  label  on  the 
back  cover  of  one  of  your 
copies.  If  the  numbers  on  the 
last  line  read  "037"  for  example, 
the  last  issue  we  can  mail  you 
under  your  present  subscription 
will  be  March   1957. 

To  renew  just  mail  your  pay- 
ment of  $2.50  along  with  a  copy 
of  your  address  label  to 

THE   IMPROVEMENT  ERA 

50  No.  Main  St. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


682 


Pest  Control  In 
Food  Storage 

(Sixth  in  a  series  of  articles  on  family 
food  storage.) 

Frequent  and  careful  inspection 
should  be  made  of  food  storage 
to  protect  against  pest  infesta- 
tions in  wheat,  sacked  flour,  raisins, 
dried  fruits,  beans,  corn,  peas,  rice, 
and  other  foods.  Early  destruction 
of  beetles,  weevils,  cockroaches,  or 
other  pests  is  essential;  otherwise  the 
need  for  fumigation  of  not  only  the 
storage  room  but  also  the  entire 
building  may  'result. 

At  the  first  sign  of  any  such  pests, 
the  Utah  State  Agricultural  College 
and  United  States  Department  of 
Agriculture  make  the  following  rec- 
ommendations: "Packaged  foods, 
beans,  whole  grain,  nut  meats,  and 
similar  foods  may  be  heated  in  the 
oven  at  a  temperature  of  150°  F.  for 
20  minutes.  The  oven  door  may  be 
propped  slightly  ajar  to  prevent  over- 
heating. This  treatment  will  destroy 
all  stages  of  insect  pests  if  the  food 
containers  are  not  too  large  nor  the 
food  too  deep  to  be  heated  through 
to  140°  F.  for  15  minutes  during  this 
treatment.  Small  grains  being  treated 
should  be  placed  about  one  inch  deep 
in  shallow  containers  before  heating. 

"Infested  raisins,  dried  prunes,  and 
home-dried  fruits  may  be  placed  in 
a  small  cheesecloth  bag  and  dipped 
into  boiling  water  for  six  seconds, 
Then  the  contents  should  be  thor- 
oughly dried  before  being  stored  in 
pest-proof  containers,  such  as  fruit 
jars.  Pest-free  food,  kept  in  con- 
tainers which  insects  cannot  enter, 
will  remain  free  from  insect  injury  or 
contamination." 

Kitchen  cupboards  as  well  as  long- 
term  storage  shelves  should  be  cleaned 
frequently.  Some  authorities  advise 
once  a  month  scrubbing  with  hot 
soapy  water  with  emphasis  upon  all 
corners  and  places  of  possible  insect 
retreat.  "While  shelves  are  bare,  they 
may  be  sprayed  with  5  percent  DDT 
or  2  percent  chlordane  household 
spray. 

"Spray  spaces  beneath  cupboards, 
lower  parts  of  walls,  and  the  floor 
near  places  where  food  is  stored.  .  .  „"* 

Never  allow  any  insecticide  solu- 
tion to  touch  the  food,  containers,  or 
dishes,  and  avoid  applying  around 
flour  for  food  will  acquire  the  taste  of 
some  chemicals  in  the  spray. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


"Chlordane  5  percent  DDT  10  per- 
cent strength  powder  may  be  dusted 
behind  radiators,  on  floors,  and  in  ant 
runs.  This  will  destroy  ants,  roaches, 
silverfish,  and  flour-infesting  insects 
which  travel  over  or  rest  on  such  in- 
secticide-treated surfaces.  However, 
chlordane  should  not  be  used  to  treat 
large  areas  of  space  in  the  home."* 

Every  precaution  should  be  ob- 
served in  the  use  of  these  insecticides 
as  they  are  also  poisonous  to  people. 
In  the  event  a  child  or  any  person 
should  get  any  of  the  spray  internal- 
ly, a  dose  of  very  hot  soda  water 
should  be  taken,  to  induce  nausea, 
and  the  person  should  be  rushed  to  a 
doctor.  Any  part  of  the  body  that 
is  exposed  during  the  spraying  period 
should  be  thoroughly  washed  after- 
wards. The  spray  should  never  be 
allowed  to  remain  on  the  skin. 

By  storing  foods  in  pest-proof  con- 
tainers and  following  other  recom- 
mendations for  the  care  of  your  food 
storage,  the  problem  of  insect  infesta- 
tion will  be  greatly  reduced.  How- 
ever, continual  surveillance  is  impor- 
tant because  prompt  pest  control  is 
simple;  postponed  pest  control  is  ex- 
pensive and  extensive.  Regardless  of 
all  precautions,  remember  that  pest 
control  is  an  essential  phase  of  any 
food   storage   program. 

*Protect    Your    Food    from    Insects,"    by    George    F 
Knowlton,  Fact  Sheet  No.  33,   U.S.A.C,  Logan,  Utah. 


HANDY  HINTS 

Payment  for  Handy  Hints  used  will  be 
one  dollar  upon  publication.  In  the  event 
that  two  with  the  same  idea  are  submitted, 
the  one  postmarked  earlier  will  receive  the 
dollar.  None  of  the  ideas  can  be  returned, 
but  each  will  receive  careful  consideration. 

Layer  cakes  stay  fresh  when  you  place 
slices  of  fresh  bread  over  the  cut  surface. 
Secure  bread  with  toothpicks. — Mrs.  B.  H., 
Hermosa  Beach,  Calif. 

When  planning  for  a  quilt,  make  your 
patterns  of  celluloid.  You  can  then  set 
these  on  your  materials,  mark  around  them 
with  a  pencil,  and  all  your  pieces  will  then 
be  the  exact  size  and  shape. — L.  L.,  Vero 
Beach,  Florida. 

Your  little  girl  can  get  at  least  one  sea- 
son's added  wear  out  of  outgrown  dresses 
if  you  make  them  into  summer  midriffs. 
Rip  the  waist  seam  and  reflnish  the  bottom 
of  the  blouse.  Use  the  sash  for  banding 
the  skirt.  Such  a  dress  doesn't  look  made 
over.— V.  H.,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Cut  a  large  supply  of  paper  drawer  liners 
at  once.  Place  several  liners  in  each  drawer. 
When  the  top  sheet  is  soiled,  remove,  and 
the  drawer  is  fresh.  Cutting  a  liner  at  a 
time  is  a  nuisance. — -Mrs.  R.  C,  Cainsville, 
Missouri. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


Proof  of  Clarin's  exceptional 
long  term  economy  is  the  un- 
rivalled ten  year  guarantee 
that  accompanies  every  Clarin 
folding  chair. 


Whatever  the  age  group,  there  is  a  quality 
Clarin  chair  just  right  for  the  purpose.  Seat 
heights  graduate  each  inch  from  12  through 
18  inches. 

Write  for  complete  catalog. 


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In  Its  Third   Edition 
Selections  from   the   Discourses  of 

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683 


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fessional—the Towne  Pride  way!  Big, 
luscious,  mouth  -  watering  sodas  and 
sundaes  that  are  a  dream  to  eat.  Towne 
Pride  Toppings  do  it  for  you  — so  easily, 
so  simply.  Makes  serving  ice  cream  five 
times  as  enjoyable.  Comes  in  five  delicious 
flavors :  chocolate  fudge,  strawberry, 
butterscotch,  pineapple,  chocolate  syrup. 


ToumeXltode 


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highway,  walking  distance  to  the 
new  Mormon  Temple,  an  attractive, 
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plus  two  nice  apartments  and  a 
room  that  can  be  converted  for 
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four  rentable  beds.  All  units  ultra 
modern,  with  latest  approved  motel 
furnishings  —  wall  to  wall  carpet, 
tiled  showers  with  glass  doors,  or 
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Also  three  linen  rooms  with 
ample  linen,  laundry  room  with 
automatic  washer  and  dryer.  Large 
neon  sign  and  attractive  lighting — 
all  on  a  valuable  98x120  corner  lot. 
A  motel  that  you  will  be  proud  of 
and  is  rated  AAA.  Established 
clientele  that  will  improve.  Re- 
quires $60,000  down  with  reason- 
able payments  on  balance.  Would 
make  a  nice  two-family  operation. 
Write  Box  25  864,  Los  Angeles  25, 
California. 


"Carry  Over" 


(Continued  from  page  626) 
I  say  but  not  as  I  do?"    Or  will  the 
"Carry  On"  that  we  sing  be  an  in- 
terpretation of  the  words  of  the  Mas- 
ter, "Come,  follow  me."    "Carry  on 


together.  Follow  me.  Let  us  put  our 
arms  about  each  other  and  lift  to- 
gether. Let  us  establish  Zion  to- 
gether. Come  follow  me.  Carry  on." 
Is  that  the  spirit? 

My   brothers    and   sisters,    the   re- 
sponsibility resting  on  you  is  greater 


(eV^>^>-^}\>v£N3\j\5\*2srN^x>v>^ 


er  approac 


5arettA  problem 


ipp 


k  to  the 


Richard  L.  Evans 


Recently  we  approached  the  safety  problem  as  a  moral 
principle.  Today  we  should  like  to  consider  safety  as  the 
evidence  of  an  inner  attitude,  for  the  inner  attitude  of  a  per- 
son tends  to  carry  over  into  all  his  outer  activities.  (We  have 
talked  before  of  temper  as  a  mark  of  immaturity,  and  so,  in 
many  instances,  are  accidents — not  immaturity  of  years  only, 
but  immaturity  of  emotion.)  Safety  engineers,  safety  devices, 
and  all  the  signs  of  safety  that  tell  us  to  stop,  look,  and 
listen,  to  think,  to  be  courteous,  to  be  cautious,  all  help  to 
insure  a  measure  of  safety — as  do  laws  and  codes  and  rules 
and  regulations.  But,  trite  as  it  may  be  to  say  so,  we  must 
everlastingly  remind  ourselves  that  the  human  element  al- 
ways enters  in.  Safety  is,  after  all,  primarily  a  problem  of 
people.  People,  for  the  most  part,  make  situations  safe  or 
unsafe.  Attitudes  make  situations  safe  or  unsafe:  Humility, 
integrity,  courtesy,  consideration,  respect  for  life,  respect 
for  people,  tend  to  make  situations  safe  or  safer.  Anger, 
discourtesy,  indifference,  lack  of  humility,  the  cocksureness 
of  conceit,  and  lack  of  respect  for  people,  all  contribute  to 
making  situations  unsafe.  (Also  a  bad  conscience  can  make 
a  situation  unsafe.  Any  man  whose  conscience  is  gnawing 
at  him  doesn't  have  his  mind  on  his  work  as  well  as  he 
should.)  Happiness  and  unhappiness  in  general  are  signifi- 
cant factors  in  the  safety  situation.  Indeed,  one  physician 
recently  reported  that  "unhappiness  may  be  the  principle 
cause  of  death  in  modern  society."1  Another  survey  suggests 
that  "a  religious  outlook  is  good  protection  against  sudden 
death"2  and  that  "the  high-accident  group  tended  to  be  less 
conventional,  .  .  .  less  in  harmony  with  the  world  around 
them."2  And  it  is  easy  to  see  why  it  is  so.  If  a  person  under- 
stands life's  purpose  and  respects  his  God-given  privileges, 
he  is  less  likely  to  be  trash,  and  more  likely  to  respect  his  own 
safety  and  survival,  and  that  of  others  also,  while  the  re- 
sentful or  unconventional  person  is  less  likely  to  consider 
consequences.  And  we  would  say  to  all  who  have  been  given 
the  privilege  of  living  life:  Preserve  it  against  abuse,  against 
illness,  against  accidents,  your  own  and  all  others  also.  Be 
alert.  Be  courteous.  Be  cautious.  Be  considerate.  And  don't 
strike  out  on  any  road  or  any  job  or  any  errand  in  anger. 
Live  long  and  well  and  thoughtfully,  and  let  other  men  live 
likewise — to  a  fulness  and  wholeness  and  happiness  of  life. 

Uke    Spoken     Word        FROm  temple  square 

PRESENTED  OVER  KSL  AND  THE  COLUMBIA  BROADCASTING 

SYSTEM,  JULY  22,    1956 

Copyright    1956 


684 


*Dr.  Kenneth  Appel,  President  of  the  National  Commission  on  Mental  Illness  and 
Health.    (See   Time,   May    14,    1956,  page  68.)  , 

2Findings  of  University  of  Colorado  team  headed  by  Psychologist  John  J.  Conger. 
Ibid. 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


than  you  realize.  Your  responsibility 
to  convert  the  youth  of  Zion  is  as 
great  as  the  responsibility  resting 
upon  any  missionary  in  any  mission 
of  the  Church.  You  must  be  mission- 
aries. Every  MIA  officer  must  be  a 
missionary.  Every  chapel  must  be 
a  mission  field.  Every  class  must 
be  a  mission  field,  and  every  child 
who  comes  to  MIA  must  be  con- 
sidered an  investigator  of  the  gospel. 
We  fail  in  our  mission  if  we  fail  to 
convert  these  young  people  so  that 
they  can  "carry  on." 

In  a  spirit  of  faith  and  prayer,  in 
a  spirit  of  genuine  devotion  on  your 
own  part,  will  you  seek  this  conver- 
sion? There  is  no  real  obedience 
without  conversion. 

Yesterday  I  had  the  privilege  of 
listening  to  Mr.  Wilson  who  is  here 
from  the  general  headquarters  of  the 
Boy  Scouts  of  America.  I  hope  he 
will  forgive  me  if  I  refer  to  a  little 
story  he  told  in  the  address  he  gave 
in  the  Assembly  Hall.  He  spoke  of 
some  of  our  American  soldier  boys 
who  were  put  ashore  in  a  Japanese- 
held  island.  One  of  these  boys  was 
captured,  and  the  enemy  thinking 
that  the  boy  might  give  them  secrets, 
tortured  him  terribly.  They  whipped 
him  into  unconsciousness,  but  he  was 
determined  to  be  loyal  to  America, 
and  with  each  lash  of  the  whip  he 
said  to  himself,  "A  Scout  is  trust- 
worthy. A  Scout  is  trustworthy,"  and 
he  said  that  as  he  lapsed  into  un- 
consciousness. 

It  was  a  "carry  over"  in  a  magnifi- 
cent way,  wasn't  it?  A  "carry  over" 
from  Scout  training,  so  that  this  boy, 
when  faced  with  the  great  torture 
that  came  to  him,  remembered  the 
teaching.  It  sealed  his  lips.  It  de- 
veloped a  greater  loyalty  than  ever  in 
his  soul. 

Now  when  boys  and  girls  from  your 
classes  meet  temptation,  and  that 
temptation  beckons  them,  will  they 
say,  "A  Latter-day  Saint  is  chaste.  A 
Latter-day  Saint  is  clean.  A  Latter- 
day  Saint  is  faithful.  A  Latter-day 
Saint  is  devoted.  A  Latter-day  Saint 
is  obedient.  A  Latter-day  Saint  is 
true."?  Will  that  be  their  response? 
If  it  is,  then  you  will  have  achieved 
your  "carry  over."  You  will  have 
obtained  a  conversion,  and  the  youth 
will  "carry  on." 

But  will  you  remember  that  we 
must  have  a  "carry  over"  before  we 
can  have  a  "carry  on."  This  is  my 
humble  prayer,  in  Jesus'  name. 
Amen. 

SEPTEMBER  1956 


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685 


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Melchizedek  Priesthood 


(Concluded  from  page  667) 
sidered  by  the  First  Presidency  and  the  one 
chosen    by   "lot,"  much   as   Matthias   was.11 

Eighth — Sustaining  the  New  Apos- 
tle: 

After  the  selection  has  been  made 
by  the  President  of  the  Church  of  the 
man  to  fill  the  vacancy  in  the  Quo- 
rum of  the  Twelve,  the  President  of 
the  Church  presents  his  name  to  his 
Counselors  for  their  sustenance  and 
then  to  the  members  of  the  Quorum 
of  the  Twelve.  Thereafter  the  per- 
son selected  is  presented  to  the  body  of 
the  Church  at  a  general  conference  for 
a  sustaining  vote. 

Ninth — Ordination,  Receiving  the 
Keys,  and  Setting  Apart: 

These  things  having  been  accom- 
plished, the  brother  is  then  ordained 
to  the  apostleship.  This  ordination 
is  usually  performed  by  the  President 
of  the  Church;  however,  he  could 
delegate  one  of  the  other  brethren  to 
perform  the  ordination. 

At  the  time  of  his  ordination,  all 
the  keys  pertaining  to  the  apostle- 
ship, to  the  priesthood,  and  to  the 
building  of  the  kingdom  of  God  are 
bestowed  upon  the  new  apostle;  and 
he  is  set  apart  to  be  a  member  of  the 
Quorum  of  the  Twelve  and  as  one  of 


the  General  Authorities  of  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
This  has  been  the  practice  since  the 
days  of  the  Prophet  Joseph.  President 
Joseph  Fielding  Smith  has  written  the 
following  regarding  the  apostles  re- 
ceiving "the  fulness  of  the  keys  and 
priesthood:" 

President  Brigham  Young  and  the  other 
members  of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve  had 
the  fulness  of  the  keys  and  priesthood  con- 
ferred upon  them  by  the  Prophet  before  his 
death,  so  that  any  one  of  them  could  act, 
each  in  turn,  should  he  come  to  the  Presi- 
dency, and  all  he  would  then  need  would 
be  the  setting  apart.  All  of  the  members 
of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve  today  have 
had  conferred  upon  them  all  the  keys  and 
authority  necessary  to  be  exercised  by  any- 
one who  might  reach  the  Presidency,  and 
then  he  would  be  set  apart.12 

Tenth — Tenure  of  the  Apostles: 

It  has  been  the  practice  in  the 
Church  to  retain  the  apostles  in  their 
positions  as  members  of  the  Quorum 
of  the  Twelve  as  long  as  they  remain 
faithful  Latter-day  Saints  and  hon- 
orable apostles.  After  having  received 
the  apostolic  appointment,  the  vast 
majority  of  the  apostles  have  retained 
that  divine  appointment  and  remained 
in  the  position  as  members  of  the 
Quorum  of  the  Twelve  until  their 
deaths. 


u-lbid.,   vol.    3,   p.   150. 


'-'/iii'i,    vol.    3,    pp.    106-107. 


These  Times 


(Continued  from  page  610) 
life  and  its  issues?  For  example,  are  the 
Mormon  people  in  North  America  really 
aware  of  their  urban  status  and  its  sig- 
nificance? Urban  life  is  highly  competi- 
tive, highly  organized,  highly  specialized, 
highly  interdependent.  The  "power" 
structure  is  broader  and  more  com- 
plicated. This  means  that  the  hard- 
driving  urbanite,  to  capture  his  dream 
of  Eden,  actually  goes  far  beyond  his 
simple  "territory."  Instead  he  drives 
through  a  maze  of  corporation  law, 
markets,  production  schedules,  manu- 
facturing and  distributing,  transporta- 
tion and  advertising  problems,  in  the 
mad  attempt  to  "reach  the  top."  In 
Ruritania,  he  soon  reaches  the  end  of 
the  north  forty.  To  acquire  the  next 
forty,  and  then  go  on,  spells  real  con- 
quest over  things  and  things  in  nature. 
Translated  to  the  city,  the  drive  is 
translated  into  the  drive  for  power  over 
or  with  human  beings — the  organization 
of  big  business,  big  labor,  or  big  gov- 
ernment— in  order  finally  to  sit  under 
the  vine  and  fig  tree  (translated  to  mean 


686 


membership  in  the  most  prominent 
country  club,  ability  to  entertain  the 
loyal  employee-retainers  and  relatives  at 
a  suburban  estate,  and  perhaps  com- 
mute in  a  private  plane).  The  neigh- 
bors are  just  other  people  in  the  power 
structure,  trying  "to  get  ahead"  or  "get 
on  top."  "Ahead"  and  "on  top"  in 
modern  America  is  quite  a  race,  stimu- 
lating, and  perhaps  rewarding.  But  as 
mentioned  in  a  recent  piece  on  the  sub- 
ject of  mental  health,  are  we  forsaking 
our  primary  groups — the  family,  the 
neighborhood,  the  small  community?  Is 
there  a  relation  between  living  in  the 
suburbs,  driving  madly  to  the  city  for 
work,  then  madly  back  to  the  suburbs 
at  night — and  our  mental  anxieties? 
Can  one  live  in  Eden  and  Babylon  at 
the  same  time?  (Some  folks  in  West- 
wood  Village,  north  of  Wilshire  in  Los 
Angeles,  or  in  Scarsdale,  N.Y.,  or  Cot- 
tonwood, Utah,  seem  to  think  so  and 
maybe  it  is   possible.) 

The  1950  census  classified  only  11.7 
percent  of  Utah's  population  as  "rural 
farm  population,"  compared  with  about 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


15  percent  for  the  nation  as  a  whole, 
The  rest  were  adjudged  urban  or  rural 
non-farm  people.  The  mobility  of  peo- 
ple, on  wheels  and  wings  of  all  sorts, 
plus  radio,  renders  the  ancient  concept 
of  territory  more  difficult  in  practical 
ways.  Even  the  rural  today  are  urban 
— and  vice  versa!  At  a  ward  confer- 
ence it  is  not  unusual  to  hear  a  bishop 
report  that  "during  the  past  year  we 
received  into  the  ward  396  recom- 
mends and  sent  from  the  ward  387 
recommends."  Then  he  will  state  that 
the  total  population  on  January  1  was, 
let  us  say,  "865." 

Much  moving  about  is  due  not  only 
to  rapid  means  of  communication  and 
the  volatile  economic  demands  of  urban 
society,  but  also  to  the  quest  by  modern 
Adam  and  Eve  for  paradise  regained. 
In  the  meantime  life  changes.  The  past 
fifty  years  has  seen  a  great  increase  in 
non-territorial  groups,  groups  that  cross 
boundary  lines,  instead  of  the  territorial 
group,  the  association  based  on  ward, 
stake,  commercial  or  political  or  other 
district  lines  and  boundaries.  This  is 
true  in  international  politics  and  busi- 
ness. Mark  the  foreign  business  inter- 
ests of  your  own  neighbors  who  formerly 
transacted  only  locally  or  nationally.  It 
is  also  true  in  the  social  life  of  the  Mor- 
mon family  that  attends  Church  in  the 
territorial  ward,  then  rushes  to  the  extra- 
territorial church  history,  missionary, 
or  other  informal,  church-related  club  or 
association  that  marks  much  of  the  real 
inner  active  life  of  the  Mormon  com- 
munity, but  whose  statistics  never  get 
into  the  records. 

Man  and  territory  or  organizations 
strictly  related  to  territoriality  have  been 
identified  for  a  long,  long  time.  Per- 
haps extra-territorial  associations  repre- 
sent a  recent  dimension  in  the  search  for 
Eden.  However,  in  contemplating  this 
fact  do  not  overlook  watering  the  back 
lawn  or  the  geranium  in  the  window 
box  during  the  remainder  of  the  summer. 
Your  own  Eden  is  probably  right  there, 
unrecognized,   waiting   to    be   regained. 


BEFORE  THE  SUNRISE 
By  Cherry  McKay 

Abater  flowing  through  the  meadow, 

Trailing  mists,  that  rose  to  follow, 
Mists  that  rose  off,  in  the  air; 
Light  of  dawn  was  not  yet  there. 

This  I  saw  before  the  sunrise 
From  the  train's  berth:  equipoised 
Poplars  walked  in  stately  pairs; 
A  lone  bird  winged  into  far  airs. 

This  through  time  I  still  can  see 
Beyond  my  passing  pane,  the  three: 
Poplars,   waters,   bird   withdrawn — 
Silence  waiting  for  the  dawn. 


SEPTEMBER  1956 


Qj^0 


. . . and 
it's  good 
for  them 


Royal    Baking   Co 
Salt  lake  and  Ogden 


A 

of  Milk 
in  Every  Loaf 


Enriched     with     VITAMINS     and      IRON 


SKIN  PROBLEMS? 

If  you  are  troubled  with  rough,  dry, 
scaling  or  itching  skin  and  have  given  up 
in  despair,  thinking  no  product  would 
relieve  or  heal  your  skin,  then  you  owe 
it  to  yourself  to  try  H  &  M  OINTMENT. 
Your  druggist  has  this  marvelous  healing 
ointment  and  will  gladly  refund  your 
money  if  you  are  not  pleased  with  re- 
sults. It  is  pleasant  to  use,  odorless  and 
skin-color. 

H  *  M 

ABSOLUTELY  GUARANTEED  TO  SATISFY. 
Get   it   at   your   drug   store,   or   order   from 

H  &  M  LABORATORIES 

151    EAST  2ND   NORTH,   NEPHI,   UTAH 

1  oz.  -  $1.25  2  oz.  -  $2.00 

POSTPAID 


Why  Share  Your  Space 
with  a  Swinging  Door? 


mowioe 

k  FOLDING 
BANQUET 
>  TABLES 


MONROE  TRUCKS 


For  storing  Folding  Tables  and  Chair* 
the  easy  modern  way  Each  truck 
handles  either  tables  or  chairs.  Construe 
lion  of  Truck  No.  TSC  permits  storagB 
in  limited  space. 


Transport  Storage 
Truck  No.  TS 

Church  Units  may  direct  their  inquiries  to  the 
Chureh  Purchasing  Department,  47  East 
South  Temple,   Salt  Lake  City   1.  Utah. 


THE    nHo*Vtoe.    COMPANY 


249 CHURCH   STREET.    COLFAX. 


a  "MODERNFOLD' 
door  takes   none 

*  MORE   SPACE   FOR    LIVING 

*  NEW  COLORFUL  BEAUTY 

*  RIGID  -  STRENGTH  OF  STEEL 

*  MOVABLE  WALLS 


the  doors  that  fold 
like  an  accordion 


III  mini  mil  In  hi 


For  demonstration  write  or  phone 

ALDER'S 

960  South  Main  Salt  Lake  City 

Phone  EM  4-8444 

Please    send     me    your    free     booklet    entitled 
"More    Space    for    Living"    IE-10. 

NAME     : 

Address    

City State 

687 


ELDERS  QUORUM  RAISES  FUNDS 

JL/I embers  of  the  elders  quorum  of  the  Lanakila  Ward  had  a  fund- 
raising  project  last  Memorial  Day  to  assist  three  missionaries 
in  Japan  and  two  serving  work-missions  at  the  Church  College 
of  Hawaii.  Four  pigs  were  placed  in  the  imu  (oven  in  the 
ground)   about  midnight  and  taken  out  about  5:00  a.  m. 

The  wives  of  the  elders  assisted  in  cutting  and  packaging  the 
meat,  which  was  then  delivered  all  over  the  city  in  plenty  of  time 
for  the  holiday  dinner.     About  $350  was  raised. 


Baltimore  29,  Maryland 
Dear  Editors: 

Tt  is  hard  for  me  to  put  into  words  my  thanks  for  The  Improve- 
ment  Era.    It  is  in  truth  an  inspiring  magazine. 

I  enjoyed  so  very  much  President  Hunter's  articles,  "Archaeology 
and  the  Book  of  Mormon." 

My  husband  is  from  Mexico;  his  grandmother  is  a  Toltec  Indian. 
We  have  been  married  five  years,  and  his  interest  in  the  Church 
began  with  his  reading  articles  about  "his  people."  He  was  bap- 
tized on  June  2,  1956. 

Since  his  investigation,  our  home  has  become  a  different  place. 
His  obedience  to  the  Word  of  Wisdom  has  made  our  family 
united  in  all  things. 

Again  my  thanks  for  this  wonderful  magazine. 

Sincerely  your  sister, 
hi  Joyce  Sanchey 


Scottsburg,  Ind. 
Dear   Sirs: 

We  would  like  to  express  the  joy  that  we  receive  from  The  Im- 
provement  Era.   Now  that  we  are  away  from  Utah  it  is  even 
a  bigger  thrill  to  have  this  magazine  in  our  home. 

In  "These  Times"  in  the  June  1956  issue  it  talked  of  marriages 
that  had  taken  place  over  the  last  few  years.  The  average 
median,  etc.,  was  especially  interesting  to  us  because  we  were 
married  in   1953  and  were  part  of  the  statistics. 

It  is  also  nice  to  read  the  words  of  our  leaders  in  the  conference 
reports. 

Sincerely, 

/s/  Ralph  and  Joyce  Wheeler 


"ONLY  YESTERDAY" 

W^e  have  a  clipping  from  the  Ogden  (Utah)  Standard  Examiner's 
"Only  Yesterday"  column  which  pinpoints  what  may  be  the 
first  athletic  activity  of  the  YMMIA.  It  says  "fifty  years  ago  .  .  . 
Earl  Pardoe  started  a  gymnasium  in  the  LDS  Fifth  Ward  Institute. 
The  classes  are  given  Wednesday  nights,  one  for  juveniles  and  one 
for  older  people." 

Dr.  T.  Earl  Pardoe  of  Brigham  Young  University,  who  formerly 
served  for  many  years  as  a  member  of  the  YMMIA  general  board, 
says:  "Bishop  John  Watson  let  us  have  the  amusement  hall  on 
Wednesdays  for  MIA  activities.  In  order  to  have  the  privilege  of 
using  the  gym  you  had  to  attend  classwork  in  MIA. 

"Stringam  Stevens  .  .  .  was  my  right  hand  man.  We  had  the 
largest  attended  Mutual  in  the  Weber  Stake,  then  all  of  Weber 
County." 

— Submitted   by   "Stu"  Eccles. 


North  Bay,  Ontario,  Canada 


Dear  Friends: 


IVTever  have  I  found  any  magazine  as  completely  worth  while  as 
The   Improvement  Era.    I  find   every  article  to   be  of  some 
value,  and  I  know  that  each  will  prove  to  be  more  so  in  the  future. 
The  articles  by  the  General  Authorities  I  find  inspiring  and  al- 
ways helpful. 

Since  I  am  a  recently  baptized  member,  there  are  many  things 
I  have  to  learn,  and  the  more  I  study,  the  more  I  realize  how 
limited  my  knowledge  is.     The  Era  is  certainly  helping  me. 

I  appreciate  your  co-operation,  and  again  I  say  thanks  for  your 
wonderful  magazine. 

Sincerely, 
hi  Betty  Nicholls 


Cannes,  France 


Dear  Brethren, 


I  would  like  to  thank  you  for  the  wonderful  opportunity  that  I 
have  each  month  to  read  the  words  of  our  inspired  leaders  in 
The  Improvement  Era,  especially  for  the  last  issue  with  the  April 
conference  talks.  It  is  a  spiritual  feast  to  read  what  our  Church 
leaders  have  said.  The  printed  page  comes  alive  with  their  in- 
spired words. 

I  am  grateful  that  a  magazine  exists  wherein  we  can  find  new 
guidance  each  month.  I  appreciate  it  more  and  more  since  I  have 
been  on  my  mission. 

I  will  always  be  thankful  to  my  home  ward  for  sending  me 
this  subscription. 

Your  brother, 

hi  Elder  Robert  W.  Nelson 


MIA  MAID  ROSE  TYING  CEREMONY 


Thirteen  girls  (one  hundred  percent  of  the  class)  were  given 
their  Mia  Joys  and  individual  awards  at  the  third  consecutive 
Mia  Maid  rose-tying  in  the  North  El  Monte  Ward,  Covina  (Cali- 
fornia) Stake.  Victoria  Reynolds,  teacher  of  the  class,  earned  her 
Mia  Joy  and  individual  award  along  with  her  girls.     Left  to  right 


in  the  picture  are:  Sister  Reynolds,  Diana  Cullins,  Patricia  Barton, 
Nancy  Williams,  Anita  Watkins,  Mary  Odum,  Sandra  Smith, 
Louise  Young,  Ann  Curtis,  Karma  Facer,  Marianna  Tucker,  Sandra 
Edwards,  and  Rilla  Lee  Payne.  Lynda  Cutler  was  absent  when 
the  photograph  was  taken. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 


Fall  fruit  is  ready  for  eating  and  for 
canning . . .  and  fruit  and  U  and  I  Sugar 
just  naturally  "go  together."  For  canning, 
and  for  topping  those  fresh  fall  fruits, 
always  buy  U  and  I  Sugar.  You  can't  buy  a 
finer,  whiter  or  easier-to-use  canning  sugar. 

Get  the  big  1 0-,  25-,  50-  or  1 00-lb. 
bags  for  canning  time 


•«*«. 


! 


Will  you  be  ready  for  his  freshman  year? 


Right  now  it's  about  all  Mom  can  do  to  get 
Junior  (and  his  kibitzing  brothers  and  sisters) 
scrubbed  and  combed  for  their  first  day  of  the 
new  school  term.  But  someday  soon,  we  hope 
that  she  and  Dad  will  give  some  serious  thought 
to  another  first  day  of  school — the  day  Junior 
becomes  a  college  freshman.  A  long  way  off? 
No,  indeed,  just  ask  the  parents  of  this  year's 
freshmen ! 


HOW  A  BENEFICIAL  LIFE  "PLANNED   FUTURES" 
PROGRAM  CAN   HELP: 

If  you  start  now,  while  your  son  (or 
daughter)  is  still  in  elementary  or  junior  high 
school,  you  can  make  sure  he  has  the  money 
he  will  need  to  complete  training  for  the  career 
of  his  choice  .  .  .  just  one  of  the  many  family 
financial  needs  covered  by  BeneficiaPs  complete 
insurance  programming  known  as  "Planned 
Futures."  Ask  your  friendly  Beneficial  Life 
agent  about  it  today,  or  write  for  the  helpful 
free  folder  on  "Planned  Futures." 


BENEFICIAL  LIFE 


omptmu 


'wMiUime 


47  West  South  Temple    yOy    Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 
David  O.  McKay,  President